It’s not fair, but the Cleveland Cavaliers need to make a change to beat the Golden State Warriors. Here are five teams they could trade Kevin Love to.
It’s a harsh reality, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have to mix it up with their current group to have any shot at beating the Golden State Warriors at any point in the next few seasons. We’ve seen the Cleveland bench struggle to show up to provide LeBron James the support he needs to beat a juggernaut to win a championship. However, is there anything Cleveland can do to inch closer to Golden State?
Well, there is one avenue the Cavaliers could explore: trading power forward Kevin Love. His stock has never been higher since arriving in Cleveland in summer 2014. Though it’s debatable if he’s as good as he was when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love has proven that he can be a top-three player on a championship team. He can also be a franchise cornerstone, maybe for a club that can win 50 games and make the NBA Playoffs?
2016-17 was easily his best year in Cleveland, as Love averaged 19.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers. Love is a near-superstar player that could help Cleveland land another top-25 player in the league to give title contention another shot. He played really well in the Finals but the Cavaliers need shooting and wing defense more than they need his shooting and post game.
Obviously, James controls his own destiny and point guard Kyrie Irving isn’t going anywhere. That means trading Love is unfortunately Cleveland’s best shot at recalibration on the fly. Here are five potential trades that could make sense for both parties, Love and the Cavaliers.
Normally it would be strange to trade a star player within the division, but the Cavaliers would need to vet all options in attempting to get better. One team that the Cavaliers could orchestrate a trade with involving Love would be the Chicago Bulls.
The idea would be to include Bulls starting shooting guard Jimmy Butler as the primary asset coming back Cleveland’s way. Butler for Love straight up could be considered, but this would certainly feel like a multi-player trade.
Butler would give the Cavaliers some much-needed help out on the wing, as James would kick down to playing as the stretch four/point forward he has already started to become. As for Love, he’d be an ideal player for what Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg wants to try to do on both ends of the floor.
Love could play with pace and space the floor with his smooth stroke from 3. He could go to work on the glass defensively. Maybe he goes back to being a back-to-the-basket offensive weapon for the Bulls? As the team’s new star player, he could easily average 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.
Though Chicago wouldn’t contend for a title right away, landing a determined and unencumbered Love could make the Bulls a compelling watch for years to come. Butler to Cleveland would help make the Cavaliers more competitive out on the wing with the likes of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant when facing off with the Warriors.
This could be a mutually beneficial trade for both parties. Cleveland could put together a package to send Love to the Los Angeles Clippers with power forward Blake Griffin coming the Cavaliers’ way. Of course, it may need to be a sign-and-trade with Griffin having an early termination in his contract, but this trade could make both teams better.
Love would be better equipped to play down low next to Clippers center DeAndre Jordan than Griffin ever has. Griffin has been a ball-dominant forward throughout his career and that hasn’t always meshed with point guard Chris Paul who loves to dribble the air out of the basketball. Love has shown in Cleveland that he is adept at playing off the ball anywhere on the court.
Though he doesn’t have the above-the-rim athleticism of Griffin, Love is an outstanding player in transition offense. His ability to lead fast breaks with intricate outlet passes are second to none one. He’s totally capable of trailing on a fastbreak for a spot-up transition 3-pointer if Paul doesn’t find a quick shot he likes.
Griffin would give the Cavaliers more muscle down low and another creator offensively. Sharing the rock between he, Irving and James wouldn’t be easy at first, but it could make Cleveland harder for an elite team to defend. All three players can be effective offensive players off the ball as well.
Griffin already has an ingrained dislike for the Warriors being their biggest divisional rival and all. Though he hasn’t been able to beat Golden State in recent years, Griffin could channel his energy to help James get back on top. Love with the Clippers might actually make them capable of getting to the Western Conference Finals, a would-be first in franchise history.
Okay, we’re going to need to make a sign-and-trade here. If the Utah Jazz want to try to get something for free agent Gordon Hayward, maybe make a deal that involves him briefly inking a new contract before being sent to the Cavaliers for Love.
Hayward is one of the few players that would actually make the Cavaliers better in their quest to beat Golden State. He is a traditional small forward with athleticism, defensive tenacity and willingness to play above the rim. If James is cool with playing the four, he should consider how much Hayward could help his Cavaliers out on the wing.
As for Love to Utah, would that be a great fit for him? Potentially, as Utah plays at a more methodical pace than does Cleveland. He would give them more balance offensively while still maintaining an elite level of play on the glass. Love would mesh marvelously next to center Rudy Gobert. Trading for Love would make it easier for the Jazz to keep starting point guard George Hill as well.
Swapping Hayward for Love would still keep Utah as one of the better four teams in the Western Conference. They could use that money they wouldn’t be using on Derrick Favors to bring another shooter into the fold besides re-upping with Joe Ingles in restricted free agency.
Another good part about going to the Jazz is that head coach Quin Snyder is keen on player development. He’d be the new star on the team and working with Snyder could allow Love to get back to an All-NBA level. We would see a more refined Love playing for a 50+ win team in Salt Lake City for the foreseeable future. Cleveland would get its guy in Hayward to better help beat Golden State in future NBA Finals.
This is a deal that could be outstanding for both teams. Cleveland could send Kevin Love to his hometown Portland Trail Blazers for shooting guard CJ McCollum.
McCollum helps the Cavaliers out on the wing at the two-guard. While Cleveland would be horrifically rancid in the backcourt with Irving and McCollum imitating turnstiles, it’s not like the Cavaliers play much defense any way. What they’d be getting is another off-the-dribble creator to give the Cavaliers offense even more balance.
As for Love, he’d help form a new big three in Portland with point guard Damian Lillard and center Jusuf Nurkic. Even though Portland would be bad defensively, Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey still has multiple first round picks to upgrade his roster in that department in the upcoming draft. Couldn’t we expect Olshey to overpay for a defensive stopper out on the wing in free agency.
Let’s be real. The biggest reason Love needs to join Portland is that the world needs to see the Droppin’ Dimes Blazers in full effect. With Nurkic in the fold, Portland would be an exciting watch with two star players in Lillard and Love getting all weird with the basketball in the Mood Center, just how Portland likes it.
The Chicago Bulls aren’t the only Central Division rival the Cavaliers should consider making a trade with involving Love. Would trading Love to the rival Indiana Pacers in a multi-player deal for small forward Paul George be the best option for Cleveland?
Love for George straight up could happen, but George is the better all-around player. However, George will be playing on his final year of his deal with the Pacers. George hasn’t exactly been ecstatic about signing another long-term deal to stay in Indianapolis.
While his camp wouldn’t give any guarantees that George would re-sign with Cleveland or any other team that trades for him next summer, Cleveland should at least consider the trade, even if it is a one-year trial run.
The only team that George would likely guarantee signing a multi-year extension after a trade from the Pacers would be his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. However, George knows all too well that forcing a trade home only makes the Lakers worse. He can thank the Carmelo Anthony trade for giving him that great business lesson. George could just sign with the Lakers in summer 2018 anyway.
Love to the Pacers could go any number of ways. Ideally, Indiana would build its team around its new star, assuming Love is fine with staying Indianapolis long-term. The Pacers are in a state of transition and Love could at least provide them stability with a nightly double-double at the four.
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George could make Cleveland as good as it could be in the second James era to beat this juggernaut Warriors team. He is a spot-up shooter out on the wing AND plays defense. George would be a huge get for the Cavaliers, even if it is for only one year.