Getty Kevin Loves drives the ball in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have used the formula to great success before — take a pair of sharp-shooting superstars, surround them with key role players and veteran talent, and ride the group to the NBA Finals.
One part of that formula should be falling into place, with Klay Thompson set to return from injuries that have held him out each of the past two seasons and rejoin Splash Brother Steph Curry. And one insider believes the Warriors might get some big help this summer in landing a key veteran player.
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Warriors Could Target 5x All-Star
As Brad Botkin of CBS Sports noted, the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be headed toward a split with big man Kevin Love, despite the four-year extension he signed in the summer of 2018. Botkin noted that Cleveland appears on track for a rebuild where they would be shedding bigger contracts and building up young players and draft assets. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers may have waited too long to trade Love and wasted any value they could have gotten in return for him, he added, and Love’s departure from the Team USA roster means no chance of redeeming his value.
Kevin Love is withdrawing from Team USA and will not be participating in the Tokyo Olympics
That leaves Love as a likely buyout candidate, and the Warriors would be a frontrunner to land him in that case, Botkin wrote. He noted that there would be other likely suitors, including the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers, but the Warriors could be the most motivated team and most attractive destination for the veteran Love in what appears to be the twilight of his career.
There are others who believe Love could join the Warriors. As Botkin noted, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Golden State has been “flirting with the idea” of adding Love to the roster, and the interest could blossom into a “full-court press” if he becomes available.
“There is growing sentiment around the league that Love will negotiate a buyout with Cleveland and sign a veteran-minimum contract with a contender, with one of the options being the Warriors,” Simmons wrote.
Warriors Aim to Add Veterans
Golden State’s front office has made it clear that the team wants to bring in some experienced players who will help fill in roles around Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green. General manager Bob Myers said the Warriors could be better-suited to land them this season with Thompson returning.
“I do know we need veterans,” Myers said at the conclusion of the season, via The Athletic. “We have to add some veterans in free agency. We just have to. We’re well aware of that. We’ll try to do it. We actually tried to do it last year with a few guys, so it wasn’t as if that mindset didn’t exist. It doesn’t matter, nobody cares, but we were in second place with quite a few guys that I think could have helped, but they chose to go to a team after Klay’s injury that they thought they could win it more and that’s fair to them.”
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