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NBA Trade Rumors: Paul Millsap To Cavs, Kevin Love To Thunder, Ersan Ilyasova To Hawks

By Adrian Lawhorn
Published on: 10:38 PST, Sep 23, 2016

The recent stream of NBA trade rumors are not slowing down, even though the 2016-17 season will be officially underway in a matter of days. The latest potential deal making the rounds has LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers bringing in an NBA All-Star power forward to replace Kevin Love. NBA Trade Rumors reports that a three-team deal between the Cavs, Thunder, and Hawks could be upcoming.

The rumored five-player trade would see power forward Paul Millsap and small forward Kyle Singler heading to Cleveland, while Oklahoma City would welcome power forward Kevin Love to the team. Atlanta would receive a package made up of power forward Ersan Ilyasova, rookie big man Domantas Sabonis, and a future first-round draft choice from the Thunder.

It has been reported ad nauseam during the offseason that Kevin Love and the Cavs are not an ideal match, and as a result, the team has been shopping him around the NBA for months (per CBS Sports). Ideally, the Cavaliers would prefer a player who is more athletic and can provide more presence on the defensive end of the court. Atlanta’s Paul Millsap fits that description perfectly — this would be a very good move for the defending NBA Champions to make.

Another piece of NBA news that everyone is aware of is the recent plight of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They had one of the best players in the league, Kevin Durant, leave the team as a free agent in July to join the powerful Golden State Warriors. The Thunder countered by signing their other superstar (Russell Westbrook) to a contract extension, but Oklahoma City would still like to find a way to replace some of the firepower that Durant provided for the team.

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This trade would have the Thunder giving up three players and a draft choice, but it would be a proposal very worthy of consideration. Ilyasova is a good player, but the addition of Love would make him expendable. Singler is a “glue guy” who is nice to have on your team, but doesn’t put up numbers and would not be difficult to replace. Sabonis is a rookie who may or may not pan out as an NBA prospect, but either way, would not be counted upon to play much in the next year or two. The future first-round pick is likely to be in the mid-to-late first round, so the value given up there is somewhat marginal.

Some pundits might argue that this is still too much to give up for Kevin Love, but it is a daunting task to swing a trade for a star player. Oklahoma City is also desperate to bring in talent after the departure of Kevin Durant, so it appears probable that the Thunder would agree to a deal that would yield an NBA All-Star without having to give one up in return.

The Atlanta Hawks are a team in transition after signing free agent center Dwight Howard and trading away point guard Jeff Teague. While the team is remaking their roster, they could also be considering offers for Paul Millsap. Atlanta’s All-Star power forward has a player option in his contract after next season, so the team would be wise to see what kind of deals are available so they can possibly get something for him now, rather than risk losing him via free agency in a year.

This seems to be a fair trade for the Hawks, but one they may not do if they feel they will be a contender in the Eastern Conference this coming season. In the short-term, Atlanta may not be as strong if they agree to this deal, but it offers enough value for now and in the future that they might be willing to part with Millsap for the rumored package that would come from Oklahoma City.

Many NBA trade rumors don’t make sense for the teams involved, but this one offers enough value and fit for Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta that one could see this trade going down. The Cavs and Thunder might have to twist the proverbial arm of the Hawks to close this deal, but if Atlanta feels they may lose Paul Millsap next summer anyway, this five-player swap could be headed to the NBA league office for approval sometime in the near future.

[Featured Image by John Bazemore/AP Images]

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