Getty Kevin Love, Cavaliers
It’s almost become gospel these days around the NBA that Cavaliers star forward Kevin Love will be traded ahead of February’s deadline. He’s a 31-year-old averaging 15.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in Cleveland, a guy with a championship pedigree and four trips to the Finals on his resume. He is still producing, too, giving the Cavs 15.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per night.
Cleveland is in the depths of a rebuild and Love is no longer much of a fit for a team looking to move forward with youth. He’s also been rumored to be unhappy with the direction of the team. Should the Cavs deal him, they’re likely to get back a first-round pick and the clearing out of his remaining $120 over four years (including this year) on his contract.
But would Love approach the Cavs’ front office and insist on being dealt, much as he’d done in Minnesota in 2014? In an interview he did with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Love seemed ambivalent:
Could I see it? I could see … I just don’t … What’s going to happen with us this summer? Or at the trade deadline? I just don’t know. It’s just tough because, and I’m not a religious guy by any means, but the old saying, ‘You want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans.’ Listen, obviously it’s a tough go right now. We’ve got (six) wins. But in some ways, the grass isn’t always greener. You just don’t know how the s— is going to shake out. Ever. In anything.”
So could I see it? Yes and no. It’s tough for me to answer. If we got a year or two down the line — I don’t know what their plans are for me even in the short term. But if it got there and we weren’t getting any better, it might make sense for them to completely go young. Maybe it’s that way now. See? That’s the end of your article. With a question mark at the end.
Kevin Love Surprised He’s Still in Cleveland
The Cavaliers surprised many when, after losing LeBron James to free agency in 2018, they re-upped on Love for a four-year extension. Without James, the assumption went, the Cavs would deal away Love and begin rebuilding in earnest.
Instead, they held onto Love. He was among those surprised by the contract offer.
“I really thought that when LeBron left, that was the end for me,” Love said. I think a lot of people did. They were just going to restart, go super young, whatever it is. They still might at some point. My commitment has been really solid here. No matter where the chips fall, I’m going to keep doing right by Cleveland, Ohio, the Cavaliers, all of that.”
But the Cavs hoped to at least hold onto Love through the initial stages of rebuilding, perhaps with enough talent on hand to make a push to the playoffs last year. That didn’t happen, though, and the team is now doing something it didn’t do last year: Hearing out offers for Love.
That’s no guarantee he’ll be traded. But the Cavs are moving closer to pulling the trigger on a deal. Problem is, there’s no perfect suitor out there for Love.
Potential Kevin Love Trades: Blazers, Nuggets, Suns, Rockets
Headlining the interest in Love is Portland, which would be a homecoming for Love. The Blazers are wary of the financial commitment required to bring in Love, though, with fellow stars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum already locked up on hefty long-term deals.
The Nuggets, off to a sluggish start and seeking a jolt, are also in the mix, though the guy Love would presumably replace, Paul Millsap, has played well and is a much better defender than Love. The Suns, with a stockpile of good young talent, have been interested in Love before but could not make a deal work.
The Rockets could be a wildcard in the Love sweepstakes, though it would require giving up 25-year-old center Clint Capela and, most likely, roster stalwart P.J. Tucker, plus a draft pick. Houston likely would require a third team’s involvement to make a deal work.
Of course, it’s not just Love on the trading block for Cleveland. Two players—center Tristan Thompson and wing Jordan Clarkson—are on expiring contracts. If the Cavs were to become a contender in the short-term, Love said, it would require some quick action.
“If I did, it would take a long time,” Love told Lloyd. “I would hope that we start trending in the right direction. We have a ton of cap space. We’d have to add a number of players, guys have to get better. Tristan and I would have to lead, but I don’t know what’s going to happen with him and JC (Jordan Clarkson) and guys that are expiring.”
There are only 51 days before the trading deadline. We’ll know the plan for Love and the rest of the Cavaliers by then.
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