Two weeks ago, Cleveland was not in the mix for Love as he refused sign with the Cavaliers. Well, that all changed with LeBron James returning home and signing with his hometown Cavs. James has reached out to Love and Love has agreed to re-sign with the Cavs because of LeBron.
Cleveland has the upper hand for one reason and one reason only: Andrew Wiggins. The top overall draft pick in last month's NBA Draft is the prize Minnesota is after. Wiggins averaged 17.1 points per game in his only season with Kansas.But to match contracts, a third team will most likely be included. With their rumored interest in guard Dion Waiters and Minnesota's rumored interest in forward Thaddeus Young, the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be the perfect fit. One holdup is Minnesota wanting to include guards J.J. Barea and Kevin Martin in the deal. With Barea having just one year left on his contract, he could go to Philadelphia. Even with his bad contract, Martin could replace Waiters in Cleveland. He would bring much-needed outside shooting to the Cavs.
Golden State has never offered guard Klay Thompson, but it is clear that if Golden State wants Love, Thompson would have to be in the deal. Even if Thompson was to offer Thompson and forwards Harrison Barnes and David Lee, Cleveland's offer was still superior.
Chicago today offered first round pick Doug McDermott, forward Taj Gibson and recently signed big man Nikola Mirotic. While not a bad offer, I do not see the star potential in that deal like I do in the Cleveland deal. As a fallback offer, it would not be terrible, though.
With LeBron telling Love he wants him on Cleveland, it seems like the Cavaliers need to make a deal for Love. As it is right now, Cleveland is not a championship team because of its big men. A duo of Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao is decent, but hardly championship worthy. A trade where the Wolves were to acquire Wiggins, Young, forward Anthony Bennett and a first, that would be quite a haul for Love, Martin and Barea. If Cleveland were to get Love and Martin for Bennett, Wiggins, Waiters and two firsts, LeBron would be happy and Cleveland would be a championship championship contender. Acquiring Waiters, Barea and a first for Young would be nice for a rebuilding Philadelphia team.
Wiggins has not signed a contract with the Cavs yet, which means if he were to be involved in a trade right now, his salary would be $0. He is rumored to sign a contract with the Cavs as early as tomorrow. That would mean two things. First off, the trade would not be able to be official for 30 days. The teams could agree to a deal, but it would not be official for 30 days per NBA rules. Secondly, it would be easier to make a deal because of the salary Minnesota would have to take back since Love's and Martin's contract would total more than $20 million.
Even though I am a Wolves fan, I have never been a huge fan of Love's. Maybe it is his demeanor on the court and all of his whining. I am not positive what it is, but I have never been a big fan. I also am a huge fan of Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, so this deal would make me ecstatic. I see the Wolves making a deal with Cleveland eventually. There is no timetable, but I would expect a trade to be completed fairly soon.
Minnesota is getting younger and more athletic if it makes a deal like this. In the short term, the Wolves will not be very good. I am just being honest. If Love and Martin are traded, Minnesota will not be great at scoring, especially when Nikola Pekovic has his usual injury and misses a third of the season. That in addition to the youth and inexperience will result in about 30 wins. However, if Wiggins turns out to be a star and Anthony Bennett turns into a solid big man, the Wolves could make a turnaround. The Wolves need Wiggins to re-energize the fanbase He would be a terrific fit for the Wolves and Minnesota needs his services.
