NBA trade rumors: 5 trade destinations for Kevin Love
By John Buhler
Kevin Love will almost certainly be the fall guy if the Cleveland Cavaliers struggle in the 2016 NBA Finals. Here are five trade destinations for Love.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have looked simply outmatched by the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals thus far. Despite being at full strength in these NBA Playoffs, the Cavaliers look worse in these NBA Finals than they did last year. LeBron James willed the Cavaliers to a sixth game in the 2015 NBA Finals, but his team could very well lose in five, possibly getting swept in 2016.
While James is still one of the best all-around players in the game, he’s played so much basketball for a 31-year-old and is honestly exiting his prime as one of the greatest to have played that game. That means he will need his supporting cast to elevate if he wants to end Cleveland’s 50+ year championship drought.
Unfortunately for James and the Cavaliers, his two wingmen have looked terrible in the 2016 NBA Finals. Point guard Kyrie Irving continues to frustrate James on offense by taking way too many unnecessary timing-killing dribbles, not to mention playing atrocious on-ball defense. Though in concussion protocol, power forward Kevin Love has rarely meshed well with the Cavaliers since arriving in a 2014 trade involving Andrew Wiggins and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After firing head coach David Blatt midseason despite being in first place in the Eastern Conference, Love will be considered the fall guy, for better or worse, if Cleveland cannot play respectable ball against juggernaut Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Though his trade value has taken a complete nosedive in the last 18 months, here are five solid trade destinations for Love should the Cavaliers feel that it is time to trade their underwhelming and frankly underutilized stretch four.
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