THURSDAY, 8:22am: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Cavs and Wolves haven’t spoken for about two weeks. That’s in part because of the 30-day no-trade period for Wiggins, but Berger also hears that Wolves owner Glen Taylor is still reluctant to trade Love.
WEDNESDAY, 9:55pm: The question is no longer “if” Kevin Love will be traded to the Cavs, but “when” the deal will actually go down, as the Wolves are no longer in serious talks about Love with any team other than Cleveland, sources tell Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Reports indicated earlier this week that the Bulls had re-emerged as a serious suitor for the All-Star forward, but Stein and Windhorst now hear that Chicago is feeling pessimistic about their chances of putting together a package strong enough to trump a potential Cavs offer. The Warriors, who have also been making a strong push for Love, remain unwilling to include Klay Thompson in any of their proposals, according to Stein and Windhorst.
League sources expect the Wolves to walk away from the Love saga with no less than Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and a future first-round selection, write the ESPN.com scribes. The Wolves have long prioritized the acquisition of Wiggins over any of their options. NBA rules prohibit a player from being traded within 30 days of signing a rookie-scale contract, which Wiggins did last week, so the two clubs will have to wait until at least August 23rd before completing what appears to now be the seemingly inevitable deal. Still, sources insisted that the neither side will acknowledge a deal until the 30-day window passes.
The Wolves are determined to unload J.J. Barea‘s contract as part of a Love trade, reveal Stein and Windhorst, who add that Minnesota is open to adding a third team to a deal in order to absorb the guard’s expiring contract. The Wolves reached an agreement to bring aboard Mo Williams yesterday afternoon, and the team is exploring options that would help in a pursuit to acquire Thaddeus Young from the Sixers.
LeBron James is “looking forward” to playing alongside Love, his Olympic teammate, according to the pair of ESPN reporters. Love is poised to opt out of his deal next summer no matter where he ends up for this season, Stein and Windhorst write, but such a move will only be an effort to secure a more lucrative, long-term arrangement, and not necessarily to leave the Cavs should he be traded there. Although Golden State could shake the situation up by putting Thompson on the table in an offer, the Wolves’ fondness of Wiggins, the first pick in this summer’s draft, will likely be too much to overcome, according to Stein and Windhorst. There have been contradictory reports on whether or not the Cavs would be willing to include the Kansas prospect in a trade, but the latest intel seems to suggest they’re open to doing so if they can bring in Love.
Still trying to figure out this… So Wiggins, Bennett, and a 1st go to Minn; Thad Young goes to Minn; and Waiters go to the Sixers. And the Cavs just get Love?
From my understanding, the teams aren’t zeroing in on any framework quite so specific, but I’d imagine Barea would be involved somehow, given this report (and others).
–Chuck
And who takes on JJ’s contract?
The Cavs can’t do that, they don’t have the cap space. Are they supposed to throw in a few more 1st round draft choices to Philly to take it?
Those teams have been talking for at least 3 weeks. Yet they’re still not ready to zero in on a specific framework? What the heck have they been discussing?
The trade proposal doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Cavs.
Yea, as good as Love is, on a terrible team, he’s not worth depleting a roster of depth. As we saw last year, an over-the hill supporting cast doesn’t win championships.
My guess is it wouldn’t take a first-rounder to convince the Sixers or another team to take J.J. Barea as part of that trade, depending on the rest of the package they would be receiving. A second-rounder or two would probably fit the bill. It’d be hard for the Sixers to argue that absorbing the approximately $4.5MM salary that Barea is making would put them in a compromising position.
And I’m sure they’ve discussed many different frameworks. I think they’ve been negotiating which one works best between themselves and with potential third teams in the deal. Of course, if what Berger is hearing is right, and the Cavs and Wolves haven’t spoken for two weeks, it could just be a waiting game until Wiggins is eligible to be traded, with the details to be settled when the 30-day window is up.
–Chuck
Philly is tanking and they want to dump Young because he isn’t bad and makes 9mil. They take on Barea and get the 1st round draft pick from the Cavs and they may be happy. Cavs only give up the same Wiggins, Bennet and a pick.
Me either.
While Love is a superior player, we’e talking about 4 first round draft choices, including 2 that went #1 overall, and one that went #4. That might make sense if Love was under contract for 3-4 years. But this guy is in his free agent year.
I’m big on impact players, and Love is certainly one. But the Cavs are selling low on too many young players. For sure I’d pull Wiggens back and let Love know through back channels that they badly want to sign him in 2015, but they simply cannot give up that much of their future – it hurts his chances to win with them. The problem for the Cavs is that as they’ll need some decent support players to play with Irving, James and Love. They’re trading away affordable players that can perform in that role. Once traded, the Cavs will not be able to get cheap support players in the next few years as 1) they’ll be up against the salary cap (assuming Lebron and Love resign) and 2) they’ll have nothing of value to trade.
The Cavs are painting themselves right into the same corner the Heat painted themselves into.
I don’t think the deal would be like that with the Cavs giving up Bennet, Wiggins, Waiters and draft picks. Philly is trying to tank and they may be giving away Young and his 9+mil contract. They would get Barrea and his expiring deal and probably the first round pick. Young, Wiggins and Bennet to Min and Love to Cavs. The salaries would work out that way with Minnesota giving up $20mil and getting $20 back. cavs would have to try in the extra 3.3 mil cap space from the Jazz deal and maybe Haywood but non of those matter anyway.
They want Waiters, that’s common knowledge here in Philly.
They may want Waiters, but I doubt they get him. More likely to get Bennett and the pick instead.
Hinkie wants to acquire assets, I don’t know if he/anyone sees Anthony Bennett as an asset at this moment.
I agree about Bennett, but from I heard, it appears that if Philly gets involved, Bennett and picks is what they will get unless they make a completely separate deal with Minnesota and the Wolves have something they want which I don’t think there is.
As A Cavs fan, I hope that Taylor doesn’t allow Love to be traded.
Let the Cavs keep and grow all their young, cheap assets. The Cavs can make the cap space to sign Love in 2015 as a free agent. If they need to tinker with the roster at that point, they’ll have cheap players that will bring something of value back.
It would be wonderful for Cavs fans if Taylor stopped this madness.
Agreed but Lebron may loose patience with a losing team and would want to leave so if you want to make Lebron happy you get love
I really don’t think the Cavs will be a losing team this year.
Lebron wrote in his letter that the team was in no way ready to compete for a championship at this time. And where is he supposed to go in a year? And what happens to his public image if he bails in a year when what he wrote can be re-read and re-quoted?
As sensational as Kevin Love is, I don’t think giving away the future for him is the best option. He’s not the only player that would like to play with Lebron in the NBA.
Wolves FA are going to ruin their chances of trading love for a good package if they keep fartin around like this. I think the Cavs are reluctant to give so much up for Love. It’s time to come back down to earth on your demands and get a solid package for him.
It’s a question of just how long the Cavs want to wait for first TROPHY!! This season, or next with Love, or 2-4 years, taking the slow, but also intelligent route!!! Really no wrong decision, TIMING is everything!! The great , hardworking, loyal people and fans of OHIO deserve to have a championship!!!!