NBA Rumors: ‘Bleacher Report’ Projects Potential Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love For Andrew Wiggins Swap
As the Cleveland Cavaliers try to figure out what to do following LeBron James’ departure, there are too many questions to be answered. One of those questions is what the Cavaliers should do with Kevin Love. Some believe that Dan Gilbert and company will try to stay in contention in the Eastern Conference with Love being one of their franchise cornerstones.
Bleacher Report has an idea for the Cavaliers and it involves trading Love. They think that the Cavaliers should try to explore a trade that would send Love back to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins. That’s right, the trade would swap the two players that were once traded for each other.
“Nearly four years after being traded for one another, does a Love-Wiggins swap make sense again? For all his flaws, Wiggins is still just 23 years old and a career 19.7 point-per-game scorer. He’s missed just one game in four years and is under a contract that should take him into the prime of his career. He fits the Cavaliers’ rebuilding plan and could still blossom into an All-Star-caliber wing.”
Wiggins would be an ideal fit for the Cavaliers alongside Collin Sexton moving forward. Last season with the Timberwolves, Wiggins averaged 17.7 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He shot 43.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 33.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
For Minnesota, Love would be an ideal stretch power forward to go alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. He averaged 17.6 points and 9,3 rebounds. Love shot 45.8 percent from the field overall and knocked down 41.5 percent of his threes.
The Cavaliers are reportedly open to dealing Kevin Love: https://t.co/QlWMAC85e2 pic.twitter.com/huumBpJINV
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 3, 2018
Swapping these two players would be a win-win trade for both teams. Minnesota would have a starting lineup of Towns, Love, Jimmy Butler, and Jeff Teague, along with whoever they plug into the shooting guard position. Cleveland would finally have a young centerpiece that they could extend long-term.
Minnesota may not be interested in trading Wiggins, but there were reports of frustration with his work ethic last season.
Cleveland has been rumored to be interested in moving Love for the right price. There have also been reports that the Cavaliers would rather hold on to Love for the foreseeable future.
There are plenty of other teams that would likely be intrigued with the idea of trading for Love. He has been talked about as James’ sidekick over the last few years, but he is capable of much more than that.
Expect to see the Cavaliers consider making a few more moves before the start of the 2018-19 season. James leaving was a huge blow for the city of Cleveland, but this trade could help them land on their feet.
