Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is one of the superstars who are expected to change teams before the 2021 trade deadline. He may remain committed to the Cavaliers, but at this point in his career, most people believe that he would be better off playing for a legitimate title contender than wasting his prime years mentoring young players on a rebuilding team. One of the potential trade destinations for Love is the Brooklyn Nets.
According to Lee Tran of Fadeaway World , the Nets may consider sending a package that includes Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, and a future first-round pick to the Cavaliers in exchange for Love.
“Barring any severe injury, Love’s acquisition gives the Nets a sharpshooting big man who can be on the floor at crunch time due to his spacing and his ability to switch on the perimeter. The Nets could run a 5 out lineup towards the end of the game for Kyrie Irving and let him score in isolation; another benefit is that teams wouldn’t be able to double team [Kevin] Durant with Love at C without giving up open jumpers.”
Love may have gone through plenty of ups and downs in the past two years, but he could still be a great addition to the Nets, who entered the 2020 offseason with the goal of adding a third star to their roster. Though he’s not on the same level as Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, he is arguably the perfect target for Brooklyn. In the years that he spent as the third option in Cleveland, Love has learned how to efficiently play in an off-ball capacity, making him an ideal fit alongside ball-dominant superstars like Irving and Durant.
Love could boost their performance in terms of scoring, rebounding, and spacing the floor. Last season, he averaged 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 45 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN . A starting lineup featuring Irving, Durant, Love, Joe Harris, and DeAndre Jordan could pose a huge threat to any powerhouse team in the league, even to the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, the proposed scenario might be beneficial for the Cavaliers. This may be the best package that they could get for the man that they briefly considered as the face of the franchise. In exchange for sending Love and his lucrative contract to Brooklyn, they would be receiving a promising talent in LeVert and a future first-round pick. LeVert, together with the Cavs’ young core, could form the core of the next title-contending team in Cleveland.
