Cavs Trading Kevin Love To Hornets, Hawks Or Suns?
Are the Cavs trading Kevin Love to the Hornets, Hawks or Suns?
Up until this point, the Portland Trail Blazers have been viewed as the favorites to swing some sort of deal for Love’s services.
On its faces, that thought process makes sense.
The Blazers are badly underperforming this season and have little in the way of big man depth. Obviously that will change when Jusuf Nurkic returns, but even then Love would be a good asset alongside him.
The problem is, Love has a big contract. In order to get him Portland would have to give up some combination of Hassan Whiteside, Mario Hezonja, [Anfernee] Simons, Gary Trent and a first round pick.
Losing Simons would sting, but beyond that the deal could still make sense if not for one thing: Love’s massive $120 million deal through 2022-23.
If the Blazers bring Love in, they will owe more than $92 million next year to Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Love.
Given the financial realities at work here, a deal between Cleveland and Portland is unlikely.
So where will Love go?
Don’t sleep on Charlotte. The Hornets could offer up some combination of a first round pick and Nicolas Batum. The Cavs would come out good from a deal of this sort, as it would allow them to shed a couple of years of Love’s deal for a first round pick.
If not the Hornets, Atlanta could make a lot of sense as well. The Hawks could offer up some combination of Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe and Chandler Parsons. And given Trey Young’s repeated pleas for some help, acquiring Love could help the organization out in that regard as well.
Finally, Phoenix is another contender for Love’s services. Yes, the team will get DeAndre Ayton back soon, but Love’s skillset is very complementary to his. If the Suns were willing to give up a first round pick, a deal would likely be there for them.
So far this season Love is averaging 16.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Health is obviously always a big concern with him, but he has played in 22 out of 26 games so far this year.
The Cavaliers are in the middle of a rebuild, so retaining Love does not make a whole of sense for them. He has big deal and has no reasonable way of fitting in with the organization’s long-term plans.
Sooner or later, the Love trade is going to happen this year. It not a question if, it is simply a question of when.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
