Amid three weeks of massive change on NBA rosters, with several big name players with huge contracts changing teams, one player frequently mentioned in trade rumors remained on his current team: Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Love is the last remaining player from the “big three,” with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, that won an NBA championship in Cleveland in 2016. He has a contract for four years and $120 million that kicks in this year, and with the team building around younger players, it might make sense for them to move Love to a contender.
However, per a new report, the team does not want to trade Love.
According to Cleveland.com ‘s Chris Fedor, who was reporting from Summer League in Las Vegas, Love’s absence from the team this summer is “no big deal,” and the team’s new coach, John Beilein, plans to connect with Love soon. The reporter also notes that Love has not requested a trade.
As for a trade, while Fedor reports that no player on the team’s roster is untouchable, “the Cavs don’t want to trade Love.” The team would listen to an offer if they got one, but such an offer would have to include “some combination of young players and draft picks.”
The report also stated that the most likely scenario is that Love will begin the season with Cleveland, where he will serve as a team leader and mentor the team’s longer players. If he plays well and builds up his value, then he can revisit the idea of a trade, possibly around the trade deadline in February.
Cavs in no rush to trade Kevin Love: https://t.co/WsM81J0qsN
— Chris W. Crouse (@ChrisWCrouse) July 15, 2019
One suggestion from the reporter is Miami, who could send some combination of young players and expensive veterans to Cleveland in order to obtain Love.
The Cavs’ depth chart, per ESPN.com , lists Love as the starting power forward alongside center Tristan Thompson, another veteran of the Cavs’ NBA Finals teams. The teams’ last two top first-round picks, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, are listed as the starting guards, with Cedi Osman the small forward. Cleveland, in this year’s draft, also drafted promising players Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter, Jr.
The 30-year-old Love has been in the NBA since he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 and then traded that night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played the first six years of his career with Minnesota until he was traded to Cleveland in 2014, shortly after James announced his return to Cleveland.
