NBA Trade Deadline 2020: 5 trades we love for Kevin Love

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 20: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 20, 2019 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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MIAMI, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 20: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in action against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena on November 20, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

2. Turning up the Heat

The addition of Jimmy Butler has paid immediate dividends for the Miami Heat this season. Despite being in the mix with some of the heaviest hitters in the conference, the Heat currently occupy the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are a team that looks to be a potential big-time buyer at the NBA trade deadline to try and keep that position and challenge the Bucks in the playoffs.

Not only do the Heat appear to be a team that is just one (or two, maybe) pieces away from being an outright contender to win the title this season but they have the contracts to make a potential trade for Kevin Love work. No, they won’t be sending away guys like Bam Adebayo or Goran Dragic who would be crucial to a postseason run. However, they do have some albatross contracts they could get off the books.

The snag in a potential Love-to-Miami deal is the lack of draft capital the Heat have to send to Cleveland. Because of the Dragic trade that cost the Heat their 2021 first-rounder, Pat Riley can’t trade his 2020 or 2022 first-round pick, which would make this deal easy to get done. Instead though, they could pony up a former first-round pick of their own in Justise Winslow while also getting James Johnson off the books and sending a future draft pick (likely 2025) to Cleveland.

It would be tricky for Miami to get a trade for Love completed given the moving parts but it is possible. What it may come down to is whether or not Miami wants to go all-in on this season and make a run or stand pat and wait for a 2020 offseason pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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