Cleveland Cavaliers Players Thought Kevin Love Was Traded When Team Meeting Called

Cleveland Cavaliers players were under the impression that general manager David Griffin had traded forward Kevin Love before they realized that the team meeting was about the firing of head coach David Blatt, according to CBS Sports and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

How surprised were Cavs players today? When team meeting was called, some players speculated Kevin Love had been traded

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 22, 2016

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have been telling everyone that they have absolutely no plans on trading Kevin Love, the belief is that new head coach Tyronn Lue, who recently signed a three-year contract extension to lead the team, and David Griffin are very concerned that Love and point guard Kyrie Irving cannot learn to play with one another on the court.

The problem for Kevin Love is that Kyrie Irvin needs the ball in his hands in order to be a productive player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is considered quite the problem since superstar forward LeBron James needs the ball in his hands as well.

When LeBron James played with the Miami Heat, things worked out there because Dywane Wade was willing to let James be the star of the time, while Chris Bosh, a former franchise player for the Toronto Raptors, was more than willing to be a spot up shooter at the three point line and became a much better defender than before.

After years of being the franchise player and focal point for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love does not appear to be willing to demote himself to being a role player that simply spots up from the three-point line and plays defense, which makes him a really bad pairing with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

Kevin Love is still one of the better players in the NBA and is capable of putting up 2o points and 10 rebounds for another team, so the Cleveland Cavaliers would be able to receive a good amount of compensation if they were to trade the former UCLA Bruins star, which might provide the team with the necessary depth to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

With the New York Knicks looking to find another superstar player, the team could put together a really interesting front line combination with Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love and Kristaps Porzingis, especially since Love and Porzingis are two big men who can shoot from the outside, which would make it really hard for opposing defenses to defend.

In return, the Cleveland Cavaliers can add Aaron Afflalo, an underrated scorer, to their perimeter rotation, while also receiving Robin Lopez, an NBA caliber center who does not mind doing the dirty work of rebounding and shot blocking while also being able to contribute a little bit in the post offensively.

The Philadelphia 76ers, a team that has years of rebuilding ahead of them, could be an interesting destination for Kevin Love, especially since he would be allowed to shoot as much as he wants on that offensively challenged team.

Kevin Love being able to shoot from the outside makes him an interesting pairing with Joel Embiid, the injured center that has yet to play a single game for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Nerlens Noel, a talented defensive big man who struggles to play with a center that likes to score in the low post.

In return, the Cleveland Cavaliers can ask for Carl Landry, the veteran forward who would not only be thrown in to make salaries match but could also contribute a little bit off the bench, and Jahlil Okafor, the immensely talented center prospect who needs to be in a winning organization to reach his full potential.

[Featured Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]