5 potential trade destinations for Kevin Love

1. Toronto Raptors

The defending champions have been overlooked ever since Kawhi Leonard decided to head home to L.A. They’re a damn good team, currently fourth in the East, but they won’t be challenging the Milwaukee Bucks for conference supremacy this time around.

A move for someone like Kevin Love could quickly flip the script again, and they could potentially do so by trading someone who hasn’t been an intrinsic part of their success lately: Marc Gasol.

The Toronto Raptors own all of their first-round picks, so they could opt for this season or go with a selection in 2021 or 2022 if need be. But Gasol’s expiring $25.6 million salary would be far more enticing to Cleveland than three more years of an aging Kevin Love, especially since Big Spain is known as such a positive locker room influence. That’s exactly what this young Cavs team needs in the interim, until he comes off the books this summer.

Would it be cold-blooded for the Toronto Raptors to dump Gasol on Cleveland just months after he helped them win a title? Absolutely. But Love would definitely be an upgrade, shifting Serge Ibaka to the 5 and giving the Raptors a ton of offensive firepower to contend with. Also, Gasol hits free agency in a few months anyway, and hopefully his time grooming up the youngsters in Cleveland would not be lost on the rest of the league.

The Raptors are the dark horse Kevin Love suitor no one’s talking about, but this would be another dynamic move from a front office that isn’t ready for its time in the sun to be over. Pascal Siakam automatically means this team has a bright future, but a trade for Love — especially if it only means shipping off a guy averaging 6.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game — would keep the bar firmly in the “contender” category.