NBA Rumors: Kevin Love Trade To L.A. Clippers, Denver Nuggets ‘Make Sense,’ According To ‘CBS Sports’
After finishing the 2018-19 NBA season as one of the worst NBA teams in the Eastern Conference, rumors started to swirl once again around All-Star power forward Kevin Love and his future with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though the Cavaliers continue to insist that they still see him as part of long-term future, Love, 31, is clearly an odd fit on their roster.
Kevin Love may not have shown any sign that he’s no longer happy in Cleveland, but at this point in his NBA career, most people will agree that he will be better of playing for a legitimate title contender than wasting his prime on a rebuilding team like the Cavaliers. Once the Cavaliers finally decide to let him go, Brad Botkin of CBS Sports believes that Love will receive plenty of interest from NBA teams who think that they are only one superstar away from contending for the NBA championship title.
“For now, Love remains a good player who can help a lot of good teams who think they’re one piece from being great. He’ll be 31 at the start of the season, and he remains a 20-and-10 talent. He likely wouldn’t put those numbers up for a team trading for him, as he makes most sense as a third option next to higher-usage stars, but let’s not get it twisted that Love has somehow fallen off a cliff. He can shoot. He can pass. He can still rebound like crazy and has championship pedigree.”
Then & Now: Kevin Love & Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/mOBlPI7hls
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 10, 2019
In his recent article, Botkin mentioned several trade scenarios involving Kevin Love and named the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers as the legitimate title contenders that “make sense” for the All-Star power forward. Both the Nuggets and the Clippers would give Love a realistic chance of winning his second NBA championship title. Despite their limited trade assets, the Cavaliers aren’t expected to demand much in return for Love, especially with his health issues and dismal performance last season.
Kevin Love would be an intriguing addition to the Nuggets or the Clippers, giving them an All-Star caliber big man who can shoot from the ball from beyond the arc and efficiently play alongside other NBA superstars. Last season, the 31-year-old power forward averaged 17.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from the three-point range. With the three years he spent with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in Cleveland, Love definitely won’t mind serving as the third scoring option behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in Los Angeles or Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver.
Aside from the Nuggets and the Clippers, another NBA team who could express interest in trading for Kevin Love is the Golden State Warriors. According to a previous The Inquisitr article, the Warriors could explore trading All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell to the Cavaliers in exchange for Love.
