NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Will Trade Kevin Love If LeBron James Leaves
As the NBA offseason gets underway, the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading into one of the biggest offseasons that they will ever have. LeBron James has already seen his name mentioned in hundreds of rumors over the past couple weeks and could end up leaving town. Cleveland also has other decisions to make about their roster.
More rumors have been coming out about the Cavaliers’ plans this offseason. If James decides to leave, the Cavaliers are going to look to make quite a few more moves with the talent they have on their roster.
According to a report from ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, Kevin Love would be traded this offseason if James chooses to leave. The Cavaliers would end up going into a rebuild and starting things over.
“They start over. They fully make Kevin Love available. I bet they would look for a first-round pick in that trade. He’s on the last year of a deal, so they don’t want to take on money.”
At this point in time, the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Philadelphia 76ers are considered to be the top landing spots for James if he chooses to leave Cleveland. James has been adamant that his family will play a huge part in where he signs. If that is indeed the case, Cleveland may have a very good chance to bring their hometown hero back.
Love, on the other hand, is going to be a very intriguing name to keep an eye on this offseason as well. He would receive a ton of interest on the trade market, especially with only one year remaining on his contract. There are plenty of teams who will be looking for a star stretch power forward this offseason.
If LeBron leaves in free agency, “they fully make Kevin Love available,” per @WindhorstESPN https://t.co/6rkU8yeyHM pic.twitter.com/ENdM27PX0b
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2018
During the 2017-18 NBA season, Love averaged 17.6 points per game to go along with 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 45.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 41.5 percent from the three-point line.
Cleveland should be able to get a first round pick for Love, while also taking a big chunk of money off of their books. They already hold the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. If they can bring in another pick or two, especially in this draft, the Cavaliers could get a nice jump on their rebuild.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding the Cavaliers this offseason. Everything will depend on what James decides to do, especially when it comes to Love.
Don’t be surprised if the Cavaliers look like a brand new team next season. James could end up returning, but most of the buzz seems to be that he will leave town.
