NBA Trade Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Interested In Los Angeles Clippers Star Blake Griffin


NBA trade rumors are swirling around right now about the Cleveland Cavaliers attempting to increase their chances of beating the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Finals rematch by sending Kevin Love to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Blake Griffin, according to the Washington Post. It is a move that would definitely shake up the National Basketball Association if it were to happen.

First and foremost, the goal for the Cleveland Cavaliers is simple. They need to get back to the NBA Finals, and they need to beat the Golden State Warriors in a rematch, something that would be very hard to do because Stephen Curry has somehow improved after a historical season. Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert is paying a ton of money in luxury cap penalties, and he wants nothing less than to bring a basketball title to a city that has been desperately yearning to see one.

While the trio of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love have been able to win a lot of games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, many are under the impression that they simply are not good enough to beat Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the Golden State Warriors this year. Some feel that they might not even be able to keep up with the surging San Antonio Spurs, who have added All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge to their roster.

Kevin Love
Kevin Love [Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
NBA analysts believe that Kevin Love is a big reason why the team has not reached their potential. While he’s a tremendous player, the former UCLA Bruins star has struggled to adapt from being the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise player to playing third fiddle with the Cleveland Cavaliers behind Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. He has yet to figure out the formula like what Chris Bosh did with the Miami Heat when he was paired up with James and Dywane Wade.

Blake Griffin has missed a lot of time for the Los Angeles Clippers due to injuries this season. He was set to come back in January when he foolishly punched a team trainer at a restaurant and ended up breaking his hand. Many in the NBA believe that Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is tired of dealing with Griffin and wants to move him, which means that a trade before the deadline in February makes a whole lot of sense.

Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers [Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
Due to his absence, the Los Angeles Clippers have learned that their offense is much more effective when they replace Blake Griffin at the power forward position with a outside shooter. That clears up the lane for Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan to run their vaunted pick and roll. Usually, the team turns to veteran small forward Paul Pierce, but Kevin Love could be a major upgrade because he can shoot from the outside and would use his six-foot, 10-inch, 260-pound frame on defense.

One of the biggest reasons why the Golden State Warriors were able to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers was because they went with a small ball lineup that saw Draymond Green move to the center position. That caused problems for the Cavaliers because Timofey Mozgov was simply not able to keep up on the defensive side of the ball, which meant that he was confined to the bench for much of the time, even though he was blossoming as an offensive threat during the NBA Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers can counter that lineup by utilizing LeBron James at power forward and Blake Griffin at center. Griffin is athletic enough to keep up with Draymond Green on defense.

This could be the right formula for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[Featured Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]

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