NBA Rumors: Could Miami Heat Pursue A Trade For Kevin Love From Cavaliers?


The NBA offseason has been full of rumors and a lot of player movement, but there is still plenty of opportunity for moves to be made. One of the most talked about teams throughout the offseason has been the Miami Heat. It has been a rough offseason to say the least for the Heat and they could be looking to make another move or two.

Pat Riley was able to re-sign star big man Hassan Whiteside to open free agency, but lost the franchise’s face. As ESPN reported, Dwyane Wade chose to sign a two-year, $47 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. It was a depressing moment for the Heat and their fan base and there are questions about where the franchise should go moving forward.

There are plenty of options that the Heat have, with the trade market being one of the best chances to acquire a big name to help replace Wade and keep Miami relevant in the Eastern Conference.

One player to keep an eye on in trade talks is Cleveland Cavaliers’ power forward Kevin Love. Vincent Frank of SportsNaut opined that the Heat could be a potential trade partner for the Cavaliers. Love did not play well at all last season in the postseason, and was actually more of a liability than anything.

[Photo by AP Photo/Tony Dejak]
During the 2015-16 regular season with the Cavaliers, Love ended up averaging 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He shot 41.9 percent from the field overall and knocked down 36.0 percent of his three-point attempts. Those numbers don’t look awful, but his performance in the postseason against the Golden State Warriors was pitiful to say the least.

Why would the Heat want to acquire Love with the way that he played for Cleveland last season?

Quite simply, a change of scenery can do wonders for any player. It has become obvious that Love simply doesn’t fit alongside of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. That has been a major issue and the problems aren’t simply going to go away with time.

At 27-years-old, Miami could build around Love as the centerpiece of their offense alongside of Whiteside. That front-court would be dangerous.

Cleveland may simply decide to take the roster that won the NBA Finals into the 2016-17 season. J.R. Smith is still a free agent, however, and there is a chance that he could leave. Miami could put together a trade package for Love, although it would be intriguing to see what Riley offered.

[Photo by AP Photo/Tony Dejak]
Goran Dragic would almost certainly have to be a part of any trade package that the Heat could send to the Cavaliers. That might very well intrigue Cleveland after they saw Matthew Dellavedova sign with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. Having a piece like Dragic off the bench would give the Cavaliers much more offensive firepower and would be an upgrade to say the least.

Riley could also offer a package of draft picks along with Dragic to intrigue the Cavaliers.

All of that being said, there is no guarantee that the Cavaliers will entertain trading Love at this point. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the NBA offseason holds for all teams. There are quite a few teams still searching to make a move, but most teams are at a stalemate for the time being.

Miami has to make a move if they want to be a team to watch in the Eastern Conference again. Love would be the type of player that they would have to acquire, and there is the possibility that the Cavaliers would be willing to seriously consider the right deal.

Do you think the Miami Heat should try to make a move for Kevin Love ahead of the 2016-17 season? Should the Cleveland Cavaliers consider trading him? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Photo by AP Photo/David Zalubowski]

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