‘If you can get Kevin Love, you get Kevin Love’
If the Golden State Warriors would be willing to give up guard Klay Thompson, there’s a chance Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward Kevin Love would already be a member of their team. Instead, the Warriors have held onto Thompson with a big reason being they’re worried about a defensive back court of Thompson and Stephen Curry.
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Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders doesn’t buy that trading Thompson for Love would hurt the Warriors’ defense enough to prevent them from doing it and believes “if you can get Kevin Love, you get Kevin Love.”
"It’s not like Klay Thompson was All-Defense first team. Just like with Chicago, if you can get Kevin Love, you get Kevin Love, and you work out the other pieces of the puzzle later. I can’t for the life of me understand why Klay Thompson is off the table. Craziest thing."
Of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers now look like the favorites to land Love because of the number one overall pick of last month’s draft, swingman Andrew Wiggins.
Love averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game last season while shooting 45.7% from the field, 37.6% from three and 82.1% from the charity stripe. Thompson averaged 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 44.4% from the field, 41.7% from beyond the arc and 79.5% from the charity stripe. In the postseason, he put up 16.4 points, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.8% from the field, 36.4% from three and 79.2% from the free throw line. Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the Jayhawks last season while shooting 44.8% from the field, 34.1% from beyond the arc and 77.5% from the free throw line. Wiggins was ranked as the top prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express .