Kevin Love Trade Rumors: Wolves Looking To Expand Trade, Land Thaddeus Young
The Kevin Love trade rumors are expanding, with the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly trying to bring the Philadelphia 76ers into the deal.
The Wolves have been in ongoing talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers to ship the All Star forward, and sources say Minnesota is now looking into 76ers power forward Thaddeus Young as a replacement if Love leaves. It is not clear if the Wolves would look to make a trade directly for Young or if he might be included in a larger deal with the Cavs.
Young averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season. He has two years left on his contract and a player option for a third season, which combined comes to $19.3 million.
As the Kevin Love trade rumors have heated up, Love himself stepped aside from the Team USA squad. The American squad has begun preparations for the FIBA World Cup in August, but it’s believed that the Timberwolves do not want to risk an injury that could scrap any trade talks.
Love had initially denied a trade to Cleveland before the NBA Draft in June, but after LeBron James chose to return to the Cavaliers sources say his interest in the team rose considerably.
The teams have been working out the parameters of a deal, but ran into some hitches along the way. The Wolves reportedly insisted that No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins be included in a deal, and the Cavs initially resisted.
Now sources say the Cavs have relented and are willing to include Wiggins in a deal.
But the Kevin Love trade sweepstakes could be on hold, at least for a little while. The Cavaliers recently signed Wiggins to a rookie contract, which opens a 30-day window during which he cannot be traded.
Though this would appear to give other teams a window to work out a potential deal, NBA rules state that teams can still discuss trades during the 30-day window as long as the deal is not announced publicly.
The Kevin Love trade rumors have included some other teams. The Golden State Warriors have also expressed interest, though the teams reached an impasse when the Warriors would not include sharpshooter Klay Thompson. Recently the Chicago Bulls have also moved into contention.
