Kevin Love Trade Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Linked To Ryan Anderson Trade, But Is Love Involved?

Kevin Love trade rumors haven’t cooled, no matter how many Cleveland Cavaliers statements are made. The latest Kevin Love trade rumors suggest that he could be moved in a three-team trade that would net the Cavs Ryan Anderson. Well, a report from CBS Sports just “emphatically” stated that the Cavs are not looking to move Kevin Love. Not even in a trade that would bring Ryan Anderson to Cleveland. This information was passed on to CBS from NBA analyst Brian Windhorst, who has been following the Kevin Love situation very closely.

Despite having a decent season with the Cavaliers, Love continues to get mentioned in NBA trade rumors. A number of teams would love to acquire the former All-Star power forward, but it shows how hesitant that Cleveland is to move him. Love is the player that the Cavs gave up Andrew Wiggins to acquire, so it’s possible that expectations surpassed what he could actually do on the court.

In 51 games this season, Kevin Love is averaging 15.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Though his shooting percentages are down, Love is a double-double guy almost every night, and is still just 27-years-old. It’s no surprise that teams like the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and New York Knicks have called about his availability. Now, the New Orleans Pelicans are interested, and if they only have to give up Ryan Anderson, it could be considered a steal before the NBA trade deadline.

Ryan Anderson is a power forward who could possibly help the Cavs spread the floor. He attempted 359 three-pointers during the 2014-15 NBA season, and has already attempted 274 of them this year. This season with the Pelicans, he is shooting three-pointers at a 38.3 percentage to go along with 86.2 percent at the free throw line. Anderson’s overall averages are 16.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He has done that in 31 minutes a night, and could score better than Love, but sacrifices a lot in the low post.

Another thing that has enamoured a lot of teams to the Kevin Love trade rumors is that he is locked up through the 2019-20 NBA season. That’s four more years after the current season, giving a new team a lot of control through his prime years. That makes Love an extremely valuable commodity on the trade market and the front office for the Cleveland Cavaliers has to realize that. It almost seems like a smoke screen that he has been made available, but it’s possible the Cavs did it to lure a player like Carmelo Anthony.

It’s very likely that even after the NBA trade deadline passes at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 18, that there will continue to be rumors about Kevin Love’s future. His name could come up again in the NBA offseason, especially if the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics get really serious about making moves. It doesn’t mean that the Cavs would be any more likely to move him, but his name has been mentioned during four straight seasons of NBA action. It hasn’t stopped since he arrived in Cleveland.

There is one easy way for the Cleveland Cavaliers to bring an end to all of the Kevin Love trade rumors. If the Cavs can just win an NBA title during the 2016 NBA Playoffs, it will quickly turn into an appreciation tour for the players on the current roster. Talks of becoming repeat champions will replace the chatter about needing to add players who can gel better with LeBron James. Winning cures everything and that is exactly what could serve to secure a place for Kevin Love as one of the best power forwards in the NBA once again.

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