After months of consistently telling everyone in the league that they have no intention of trading him, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now reportedly willing to listen to offers for All-Star power forward Kevin Love . As much as the Cavaliers wanted to keep him on their roster, Love no longer fits what they are currently building in Cleveland. As of now, several NBA teams have already been linked to Love, including the Phoenix Suns .
In his recent article, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report mentioned the Suns as one of the NBA teams who could express interest in trading for Love before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. Despite not having major upgrades on their roster in the 2019 NBA offseason, the Suns are surprisingly off to a strong start, sitting in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with an 11-12 record. However, to have a better chance of ending their playoff drought this season, the Suns obviously need more star power on their roster.
With James Jones currently serving as the team’s general manager, it definitely will not be a surprise if the Suns decide to go after Love on the trade market. Love and Jones were former teammates on the Cavaliers and built a good relationship in the three years they spent together in Cleveland.
“Love and Jones are good friends after they spent three seasons in Cleveland together, with Love calling the former sharpshooter the ‘best teammate’ he’s ever had,” Swartz wrote. “If there were ever a GM unafraid of taking a chance on Love, it would be someone who’s already won a championship alongside him. Love would be an immediate upgrade in the starting lineup at power forward over Saric, spacing the floor for Devin Booker and Kelly Oubre Jr. while feeding off passes from Ricky Rubio. As Jones once mentored Love, the 31-year-old would take over that role on a young Phoenix team.”
Love would be an incredible addition to the Suns, giving them an All-Star caliber big man who can knock down shots from beyond the arc. With his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, Love would enable the Suns to add a superstar without forcing the face of the franchise, Devin Booker, to make a huge adjustment with his game. The potential arrival of Love won’t make the Suns an instant title contender, but if he manages to build good chemistry with Booker, DeAndre Ayton, Ricky Rubio, and Kelly Oubre Jr., Phoenix would definitely become a huge headache to every team in the Western Conference.
In the proposed trade deal by Bleacher Report , the Suns would be sending a trade package, including Dario Saric, Mikal Bridges, and Tyler Johnson, to the Cavaliers in exchange for Love. The deal works on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine. If the suggested trade becomes a reality, it would not only be beneficial for the Suns but also for the Cavaliers.
In exchange for Love, the Cavaliers would be acquiring two young and promising talents in Saric and Bridges, who could join their core of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, and Larry Nance Jr. If they don’t see Johnson as part of their long-term future, the Cavaliers could simply move him in a separate deal to acquire more future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.