NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs’ Kevin Love Or NBA Draft Pick Trade Coming This Season?
The NBA trade rumors involving the Cleveland Cavaliers continue as Kevin Love and their top draft pick in next year’s draft are both being subjected to more speculation. The team completed a blockbuster trade just weeks ago with the Boston Celtics, which sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. In exchange, Cleveland brought in All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and several draft picks. One of those picks will be whichever pick goes to the struggling Brooklyn Nets in the 2018 NBA Draft first round. With that in mind, will the team trade the pick, along with Kevin Love, for another big star?
As far as the Kevin Love trade talk goes, ESPN‘s Zach Lowe is saying that the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t trade him. Basically, with Isaiah Thomas out for as much as half the season due to his hip injury, the Cavs are going to need extra help. Now entering his fourth season, Love had been the third wheel of the “Big Three.” With new players such as Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose in the lineup, it could allow him to flourish even more. Even the head coach, Tyronn Lue, appears ready to revamp the offense to incorporate the talented forward even more.
It’s noted that Kevin Love has his deficiencies when it comes to the defensive side of the game. Even Zach Lowe mentions that his salary could easily bring three different players to the Cavs’ roster to play better defense. However, Love is probably going to see an uptick on the offensive side in this coming season. LeBron and company want him to return to the days of his former superstar capabilities.
Formerly a top 10 player in the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love took a backseat to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving once he came to Cleveland. The trio was able to win the NBA Championship a season ago and returned to the NBA Finals again, thanks to Love and company. Most of the offense continued to go through Kyrie and Lebron. However, Love has started to play better as of the past several seasons with the Cavs. He was named to the NBA All-Star squad this past season but missed the game due to injury.
As far as the NBA Draft pick goes for 2018, that is a huge chip for the Cavs to have on the trade table. The team realizes there are potentially a number of top prospects arriving in the next draft. They include Missouri forward Michael Porter, Duke power forward Marvin Bagley, and Arizona center DeAndre Ayton. That pick could translate to acquiring a future star to help compete for championships once LeBron leaves. The Cavs franchise previously drafted “The King” and Kyrie Irving with top draft picks. It’s hard to say whether current Minnesota star Andrew Wiggins could have flourished in Cleveland, and many fans have forgotten a player named Anthony Bennett by now.
Having a top pick can mean a future star, a decent player, or a complete bust. The Cavs are banking on having a superstar caliber pick, or at least having other teams believe the pick will be that. It could aid in their quest to add another star to the team based on how things look this season. Previous NBA trade rumors from Sporting News and other sources suggested Cleveland might go for a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans to add DeMarcus Cousins to the roster. Those rumors have seemed to have evaporated, and based on ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Cleveland would prefer to keep Love on the roster as their big man, along with Tristan Thompson.
All of that said, the Cavaliers may decide to re-evaluate where they’re at as the upcoming NBA season moves forward. The 29-year-old Love is certainly a valuable asset to the team, but with the knowledge that LeBron James and others may be heading out after the season, it makes Love and the NBA Draft pick attractive as part of a trade package. Even though Kevin Love has three years left on his contract, Cleveland may want to reload their roster for the future, rather than keep aging stars on board. However, he also has shown from his Minnesota days he was able to take over as the top star on a team.
Cavaliers fans, will the Cavs end up keeping Love for the upcoming season? Will they deal or keep their NBA Draft pick for next season?
[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
