Kevin Love has been one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ “big three” over the last few years, but times are changing. LeBron James chose to leave the Cavaliers in free agency this offseason, which has altered the direction that the Cavaliers are looking to go. That could lead the Cavaliers to making other moves to begin a rebuild.
According to a report shared by The Score , the Cavaliers are looking to trade Love. He could get them a decent return, potentially including a first-round pick.
Despite reports that the Cavaliers would want to keep Love even if James left, the franchise is open to offers. They will not move Love just to make a trade, but at the right price, they could pull the trigger on a trade.
Last season with the Cavaliers, Love struggled a bit to find his role with the team. He averaged 17.6 points per game to go along with 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Love shot 45.8 percent from the field overall and knocked down 41.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
At 29-years-old, Love is without question one of the best stretch power forwards in the NBA. That alone will garner interest from quite a few teams for the Cavaliers. Cleveland could choose to keep him and build around him as well, although he has two years left on his deal and likely wants to continue competing for titles at this stage of his career.
Oh? ? https://t.co/i8FwRG1n8l pic.twitter.com/Um3uEJQMzU
— theScore (@theScore) July 2, 2018
So far, there have been no reports about which teams will be interested in acquiring Love from the Cavaliers. There are still a few teams with the cap space to take on a contract like Love’s without having to send much back. That kind of deal would likely be most intriguing for the Cavaliers.
It will be intriguing to see what the rest of the offseason has in store for the Cavaliers. Trading Love would also be ideal for their 2019 draft pick, as they will only get it if it is in the top 10. With Love, the Cavaliers would have a decent chance of remaining a playoff contender, which would mean the pick would go to the Atlanta Hawks.
Rumors will begin flying about Love over the next couple of days as the Cavaliers let teams know that he is available. It would not be surprising to see something get done in the near future if the Cavaliers are serious about moving him.
Expect to hear more information about Love and the Cavaliers’ intentions with him. Dan Gilbert has talked about building a contender even without James, but for now, it appears that Cleveland is interested in moving on from Love.