Timberwolves want to unload Kevin Martin or J.J. Barea in Kevin Love trade

With Kevin Love openly on the trade market, the Minnesota Timberwolves have done little to shy away from wanting to get rid of either J.J. Barea or Kevin Martin. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, a third team may be brought into the fray if Love is trade in order to unload either contract.

When it comes to talent, Martin is the superior player between he and Barea. Last season, Martin averaged 19.1 points while shooting 38 percent from three while Barea averaged 8.4 points on 38 percent shooting along with 3.8 assists per game.

But with Kevin Martin being owed nearly $25 million over the next three seasons–the last a player option–it’ll be much easier for the Timberwolves to find a taker for J.J. Barea who is on an expiring deal worth $4.5 million this season.

More from Minnesota Timberwolves

• NBA Rumors: When to expect Karl-Anthony Towns trade talks to heat up
• NBA rumors: Karl-Anthony Towns trade talks will heat up in February
• The new NBA flopping rules explained
• NBA rumors: 4 teams not named Heat or Nets engaged on Damian Lillard trade
• 2023 NBA Free Agency: 5 underrated deals that could shift NBA landscape

This news leads fans back to the recent Cleveland Cavaliers-Utah Jazz trade which allowed Cleveland to acquire three non-guaranteed contracts. Those three contracts combined with Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Dion Waiters, or whatever combination the Timberwolves seek from Cleveland in a potential trade, would allow the Cavs to match enough salary to take back either Barea or Martin. Considering Martin is a 31 shooting guard who plays little defense, a Barea acquisition is most likely.

With so much going on, the odds of Kevin Love being traded within the next week or two seems high. All that’s missing is the who.