NBA Rumors: Warriors Could Explore Trading D’Angelo Russell For Kevin Love, ‘The Score’ Suggests
From the time he signed a new contract in the 2019 NBA free agency, rumors have been consistently swirling around All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell and his future with the Golden State Warriors. Russell may be able to fill the hole left by Kevin Durant on the offensive end of the floor but with the emergence of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in their backcourt, he’s clearly an odd fit on Golden State’s roster. As of now, most people see the Warriors moving Russell before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline where one of their potential trade partners is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the proposed trade deal by Jonathan Soveta of The Score, the Warriors would be sending a trade package including Russell and Omari Spellman to the Cavaliers in exchange for All-Star power forward Kevin Love. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine. If the trade becomes a reality, Soveta believes it would benefit both the Cavaliers and the Warriors.
“Of course, Warriors fans will note that this would all but silence any rumblings of a potential run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. In truth, that may be nothing more than a pipe dream, anyway. With Thompson and Draymond Green’s respective max deals, plus Curry’s gargantuan super-max contract, Golden State would have to make uncomfortable sacrifices with its core to sign Giannis. Love would give them a fourth star today. He’s also nearly on the same timeline as Curry; both are 31 and Love’s contract has only one more year on it than Curry’s. Love and Thompson being childhood friends helps, too.”
Love may not be on the same level as Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he would still be a great addition to the Warriors. Aside from being a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, and floor-spacer, what makes Love a more intriguing acquisition for the Warriors is his ability to efficiently coexist with other NBA superstars. After spending three years with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in Cleveland, Love won’t definitely have a hard time building chemistry with Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green in the Golden State.
Meanwhile, in exchange for Love, the Cavaliers would be acquiring another All-Star caliber talent in Russell. Unlike Love, Russell, who will just turn 24-years-old in February, would be a perfect fit for the Cavaliers’ rebuilding plan. However, the potential arrival of Russell would make things more complicated in Cleveland. With Russell also needing the ball in his hands to excel on the court, the Cavaliers would need to let go of one of their ball-dominant guards, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, if the deal pushes through.
