NBA Rumors: Should Heat President Pat Riley Consider Trading For Kevin Love?
Since the arrival of Jimmy Butler in the 2019 NBA free agency, Miami Heat President Pat Riley has been aggressive on the trade market, searching for another superstar who could help him carry the team back to title contention. Though the Heat are currently performing very well in the 2019-20 NBA season, most people believe that Riley should still strongly consider targeting at least one All-Star caliber player to strengthen their chance of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship title. Among the potential trade targets for the Heat before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline is Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his recent article, Zach Frydenlund of Complex mentioned the Heat as one of the NBA teams who could try and save Love from the Cavaliers.
“It’s no secret that Pat Riley likes to make a big splash and this would surely count as a big splash. Would the Cavs and Heat be able to get a deal done? That’s another story, but Love would be the type of PF that could excel in the Heat system and help bolster their standing in the East. Would have to wonder if Love is ready for the 3 a.m. workouts with Jimmy in South Beach?”
Since the 2019 NBA offseason, the Cavaliers have been continuously reminding everyone in the league that they have no intention of trading Love. However, after the Cavaliers’ poor start in the 2019-20 NBA season, they suddenly changed their stance about keeping Love on their roster. As of now, the Cavaliers have already started to listen to trade offers for the All-Star power forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5–YAIaEeY8&t=17s
If they are serious about bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy to South Beach, trading for Love makes a lot of sense for the Heat. Love may not be on the same level as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Paul George, but he’s undeniably a perfect trade target for the Heat. With the Heat already having Butler as their main man, the type of superstar they need right now is someone who can excel in an off-ball capacity like Love.
With the years he spent with Kyrie Irving and James in Cleveland, Love won’t definitely mind accepting the role as the Heat’s second-best scoring option and Butler’s sidekick in Miami. Though Love has defensive issues, he remains a very reliable scorer, incredible rebounder, and floor-spacer. This season, the 31-year-old power forward is averaging 16.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
As of now, it remains unknown what type of trade assets the Heat are willing to give up to bring Love to Miami. However, in any potential deal involving Love, the Cavaliers would likely seek salary cap relief, a young player, and a future draft pick.
