5 potential trade destinations for Kevin Love
2. Phoenix Suns
A promising start for the Phoenix Suns has turned to raised expectations and mild disappointment as the injuries continue to pile up. Ricky Rubio has missed significant time, Aron Baynes is still banged up and Deandre Ayton‘s return from a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug Policy can’t come soon enough.
Even with Ayton and Baynes both on the floor, upgrading from the admittedly solid Dario Saric to Kevin Love would give Phoenix enough oomph to fully establish itself as a playoff team in 2020. Devin Booker has been sensational, Rubio is making life easier for everyone and Kelly Oubre Jr. is having a career year, but adding a proven winner, shooter and rebounder like Love would take a ton of pressure off Booker when he sees an endless wave of double-teams night in and night out.
To make the money work, Tyler Johnson‘s expiring $19.2 million contract would have to be included, which isn’t a significant blow since he’s rapidly losing favor with head coach Monty Williams anyway. From there it’d be a matter of whether the Suns could convince Cleveland to take Frank Kaminsky and a protected first-round pick, or if they’d have to settle on something more realistic like Saric, either Elie Okobo or Jevon Carter, and a heavily protected first-rounder.
The goal for the Suns should be making the playoffs, and this would be an all-in move on this current team’s potential. General manager James Jones played with Love in Cleveland, and he fits Jones’ preference for mature, experienced (slightly unathletic) players who can spread the floor.
However, Love’s injury history is worrisome for a young team on the rise. The Suns will have extensions for Ayton and possibly Oubre to worry about in the near future, and Love’s $30 million-plus salary would gum up the works — problematic if he’s effective, and potentially devastating if injuries sideline him once again.
It’s a tough line to navigate. The Suns could put together a measured, realistic package as quickly as anyone, but it’s worth discussing whether Love being locked in for the long-term is a better gamble compared to the short-term upside of someone like Gallinari as a potential one-year rental.
For the Cavs, opting for the deal that includes Saric, either Okobo or Carter and a protected first-rounder would make the most sense. Saric is an intriguing 4 entering restricted free agency this summer and he’s still relatively young, so if he impressed in Cleveland, he could be retained. Okobo is showing flashes at the backup point guard spot, while Carter’s bulldog defense is a given.