NBA Rumors: Kevin Love For CJ McCollum Trade Makes Sense For Cavaliers And Blazers, ‘NBC Sports’ Suggests
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Kevin Love is one of the players who is expected to be moved before the February NBA trade deadline. Love is yet to return to the court since suffering a left foot injury in late October, but he has already participated in full contact, 5-on-5 scrimmages. Cavaliers Head Coach Larry Drew said that during the practice, Love “moved really well, shot the basketball well,” per ESPN.
Once Kevin Love regains his All-Star form, NBA teams who are in dire need of additional star power may consider calling the Cavaliers to inquire about his availability via trade. One of the NBA teams who could express interest in acquiring Kevin Love is the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports, a Kevin Love for C.J. McCollum swap “makes too much sense” for the Cavaliers and the Trail Blazers. In the proposed trade deal, the Cavaliers will be sending Love, Channing Frye, and Rodney Hood to the Trail Blazers for McCollum and Zach Collins. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
Trading C.J. McCollum for Kevin Love may be a head-scratcher for some Trail Blazers’ fans, but Haberstroh believes that it could help Portland become a more competitive team in the 2018-19 NBA season.
“A Love-Nurkic pairing makes for one of the best passing frontcourts in all of basketball. Throw Evan Turner in the mix and you have four live playmakers, three of which can shoot at a high percentage (Nurk is easy money from the left elbow). Frye makes his triumphant return to Portland, where he can help fill in for Love until he returns from his foot injury. Hood gets redemption after last postseason. The Cavs would probably request a stud prospect for Love’s services.”
ICYMI: #Cavaliers not moping about plight as Kevin Love participates in first full-contact practice since surgery https://t.co/2zSGK5WkHm
— Marla Ridenour (@MRidenourABJ) February 1, 2019
Kevin Love hasn’t shown any indication that he’s no longer happy with the Cavaliers, but at this point in his NBA career, he will be better off playing for a contender than staying on a rebuilding team. Love will be a great addition to the Trail Blazers, giving them an All-Star big man who can knock down shots from beyond the arc. In the four games he played this season, Love averaged 19.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 32.3 percent shooting from the field, and 29.2 percent from three-point range.
Meanwhile, the deal will give C.J. McCollum the opportunity to play for his hometown team. Most NBA fans are surely intrigued to see what type of player McCollum will be after moving out of the shadow of Damian Lillard in Portland.
