By Julian Kranstover
It’s no secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers have not looked the same since LeBron left his hometown for the bright lights of Los Angeles, leaving behind a group of veterans, such as Kevin Love, that are more than capable to contribute to a team looking to make a playoff push and even contend for a ring, in the process
The 6 foot 8-inch power forward is currently averaging 15.6 points, 10.5 rebounds to go along with 2.5 assists while shooting 36% from behind the arc.
Love has proven this year, that at the age of 31, he is showing no signs of slowing down.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and with one of the league’s worst records, it may be time for them to start thinking about the future once more, starting with trading away of their longest-tenured player.
1) Portland Trailblazers
Love grew up in Oregon and would most likely welcome the idea of playing for his hometown team.
With the recent addition of fellow veteran Carmelo Anthony and the star-studded backcourt of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, the Trailblazers look like a viable option for Love to add even more depth to the team.
A key factor in this proposed trade would be Portland’s desire to offload the massive contract that Hassan Whiteside carries. Given that he’s owed $27 million this upcoming season and set to become a free agent shortly thereafter, Whiteside would most likely be apart of the trade.
2) Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are the true dark horse in the impending race to obtain Love.
Nikola Jokic has not produced the way he was last year, and with his totals dropping across the board (16.2 PPG, 10 RPG, 6.3) Jokic and the Nuggets look like they could use some help to revamp the identity they had last year.
Cleveland wants to build for the future and they have the ability to trade for that here with taking a gamble on highly anticipated 2nd round draft pick in Bol Bol with the added possibility of acquiring the likes of Micheal Porter Jr. in the process. Other acquisitions such as future draft pick compensation and cash considerations could be in play as well, but it will really come down to what GM Altman sees as the best possible return for Love’s services.
3) Miami Heat
In the offseason, Jimmy Butler turned heads in the NBA world by choosing the Miami Heat rather than other possible suitors that seemed more fitting. In a Jimmy Butler-esque way, he did things the way he wanted to and proved the NBA world he made the right decision by going to Miami, a team currently in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference after 23 games.
Although it looks as if things are running smoothly so far, it still seems as if the Heat are one All-Star away from making a legitimate push towards a possible Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Adding Love’s ability to rebound the basketball and space the floor fits right into Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra’s gameplan, something they have looked to add to their team since adding big men of the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard that all have the same ability, just not exuded with the same consistency.
Cleveland will be asking for a lot in return for their five-time All-Star, meaning that a potential trade surrounding the likes of Justice Winslow, Bam Adebayo, and Goran Dragic would be inevitable.
The only problem with the Cavaliers moving Kevin Love will be the large contract which he carries, with his four year, $120 million contract, one that he signed last summer, was seen to read as a sign of Love staying long term in Cleveland.
Now, in the era of constant movement of superstars in the NBA, it’s only a matter of time for Love to be traded to a different team.
The NBA trade deadline is on February 6th, 2020 so teams with playoff aspirations have time to prioritize their needs as they zero in on the playoffs, and we know for certain, given his track record, Love will be among the more coveted players come deadline time.
