NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Could Be A Potential Landing Spot For Kevin Love
Kevin Love is coming off of a disappointing end to the 2017-18 NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After battling through the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. It was a rough series and one that might change everything for the Cavaliers.
LeBron James is set to hit free agency and many believe that he will end up leaving Cleveland. If he does, things are going to be blown out by the Cavaliers’ front office.
According to a report from ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, Love will likely be traded if James does leave in free agency.
If the Cavaliers do make Love available this offseason, there are going to be plenty of teams interested in acquiring him. Bleacher Report believes that the Los Angeles Lakers could be a potential trade destination for him. Love has been connected to the Lakers in the past and it would be a bit of a homecoming for the star power forward, as he played his college basketball career at UCLA.
During the 2017-18 season with Cleveland, Love ended up averaging 17.6 points per game to go along with 9.3 rebounds. He shot 45.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts.
Trade packages and landing spots for Kevin Love if LeBron leaves Cleveland https://t.co/LW6Stobxji pic.twitter.com/gFIRHjhT5A
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2018
Love may not be the huge splash that the Lakers fans are expecting, but there is no question that he would thrive in a bigger role. Los Angeles could use some help in the front-court, which Love would be able to provide. He also likely wouldn’t cost too terribly much, although B/R does mention Kyle Kuzma in their proposed trade package.
More than likely, the Lakers would not be willing to trade Kuzma in a deal that brought Love to L.A.
At 29 years old, Love is still more than capable of being a cornerstone for a franchise. He has not played consistently well for the Cavaliers, but his role has changed constantly. Los Angeles would immediately view Love as one of their top scorers, especially if they are unable to land either James or Paul George in free agency.
That being said, it will be interesting to see what the Cavaliers do this offseason. What James decides to do will likely decide Love’s future in Cleveland. Los Angeles certainly appears to be an ideal fit for Love if he is put on the trade block, but there are plenty of other teams that could use a star stretch four as well.
Expect to hear the Lakers mentioned in rumors connected to Love this offseason. They may not end up making a move for him, but if James and George don’t sign with the Lakers, Love would make perfect sense.
