Minnesota Timberwolves looking to trade J.J. Barea in Kevin Love deal
By Josh Hill
The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to undergo a facelift whenever they end up trading Kevin Love this summer and that means they’re trying to purge themselves of every little parasitic contract they have and don’t want.
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J.J. Barea has one of those diseased contracts that Minnesota wants to flush out of its system and are using the Kevin Love trade as a way to do it. Barea won’t be a contract that the Cleveland Cavaliers take back but one of the hold ups in an eventual deal may be the fact that a third team could be needed to make sure Barea leaves Minnesota.
According to ESPN.com, the Timberwolves are hunting for a third team to take on the salary of J.J. Barea as part of the Kevin Love deal.
"The Wolves also signed veteran guard Mo Williams this week, making fellow vet J.J. Barea — who sources say Minnesota is determined to offload as part of a Love deal — more available. It’s believed the Wolves hope to convince Cleveland to take Barea as part of a Love trade or find a third team to absorb Barea’s expiring contract."
It’s been clear in the past that Barea is not a player Kevin Love likes, as he’s been called out in the past by Love — indirectly — and is someone the Wolves in general have grown tired of. This doesn’t mean they’ll for sure be able to move him, but if the Philadelphia 76ers or someone get involved who are looking to absorb bad deals, Barea could be on the move sooner rather than later.
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