Despite having Kevin Love back on their roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t shown any major improvements with their performance in the 2019-20 season and are currently sitting in the No. 13 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 5-15 record. As their struggle continues, rumors surrounding the 30-year-old big man have also been heating up once again. In a recent appearance on SportsCenter , which is currently posted on Twitter , Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN discussed Love and his future with the Cavaliers and mentioned some of the NBA teams who could express a strong interest in acquiring him before the February trade deadline.
After months of insisting that they have no intention of trading Love, Wojnarowski revealed that the Cavaliers are finally willing to listen to trade offers for the All-Star power forward. With the Cavs open for trade negotiation, Wojnarowski believes that his past suitors — the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Denver Nuggets — could revisit their interest in adding Love to their roster.
“I’m told that Cleveland is ready now to listen to offers on Kevin Love as we get to that December 15 date and then the February trade deadline,” Wojnarowski said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports .
“If somebody blows them away with an offer, this is a team clearly in a rebuild. Kevin Love is still player who, look at our teams who are all playing tonight who have all had interest in the recent past with him. Boston. Portland. Denver. He’s going to be a player very much in demand and I think there are going to be a lot conversations between Cleveland and teams all over the league about Love.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5–YAIaEeY8&t=8s
Love would undeniably be an intriguing addition to teams who have championship aspirations like the Celtics, Trail Blazers, and the Nuggets. All three organizations are currently considered as legitimate threats in the league but not heavy favorites to represent their respective conferences in the 2020 Finals. Adding a player of Love’s caliber to their core could dramatically change the fate of those teams.
Love may not be as dominant as LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard, but he would definitely be a perfect target for teams who already have at least one superstar on their roster. He is one of the few superstars in the NBA who can excel in an off-ball capacity. With the three years he spent playing alongside Kyrie Irving and James in Cleveland, he likely won’t have a hard time making himself fit alongside Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum in Boston, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in Portland, and Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver.
As of now, it remains unknown if the Celtics, Trail Blazers, and the Nuggets have already started engaging in trade negotiations with Cleveland. However, in the potential deal involving Love, they would likely have to give up a trade package including young players and future draft picks.