NBA Rumors: Spurs Could Acquire Kevin Love For Patty Mills, Rudy Gay, And Luka Samanic

Despite missing the playoffs last season, the San Antonio Spurs don’t seem to have any plan of undergoing a full-scale rebuild this fall. With DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge still on their roster, they don’t seem intent on taking a different path and want to remain a competitive team in the loaded Western Conference. However, if they want to have a realistic chance of contending for the NBA championship, they should strongly consider adding another All-Star caliber talent that could help DeRozan and Aldridge carry the team next year.

One of the potential trade targets for the Spurs in the offseason is All-Star power forward Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Spurs could acquire Love by sending a package that includes Patty Mills, Rudy Gay, and Luka Samanic to the Cavaliers.

“If the Spurs want to run it back with DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, they’ll need some additional veteran help to compete for the playoffs. Love is overpaid, but he’s still a solid power forward (17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 37.4 percent from three) who could be used all sorts of ways in Gregg Popovich’s offense.”

Love may have failed to live up to expectations from the massive contract he signed with the Cavaliers, but he might still be a great pickup for the Spurs. He could be a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, and an All-Star-caliber big man who is capable of efficiently knocking down shots from beyond the arc. Last season, he averaged 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three-point range, per ESPN.

As of now, most people would agree that Love is more suited as the second or third fiddle than being the main guy. This was proven by the years he spent with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland where he played in the NBA Finals for four straight years and won his first championship ring. He may not have shown any indication that he’s no longer happy with the Cavaliers, but at this point in his career, he would likely be better off playing for a legitimate playoff contender than spending his prime years mentoring young players on a rebuilding team.

Meanwhile, sending Love to San Antonio could also be beneficial for the Cavaliers. Aside from successfully getting rid of his massive contract, they would also be receiving a promising big man in Samanic who could be a good addition to their young core.