Well, that didn’t take long.
Kevin Love signed a four-year, $120MM extension this summer, as the Cavaliers made a commitment to winning even with the loss of LeBron James. Love was happy to get long-term security and an expanded role as the team’s primary scorer.
Cleveland’s 0-3 start already has some people thinking that Love may be wearing a different uniform before the end of the season. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post wrote a column this weekend about this subject, speculating that the franchise may have to finally embrace a rebuilding plan that would include cashing in Love for assets.
Love has held up his end of the bargain, averaging 20.7 PPG and 14.3 RPG, but Cleveland could find itself with some buyer’s remorse. Love will make $28.9MM next season, $31.3MM the following two seasons and $28.9MM in 2022/23 season. With the salary cap projected to rise, a contender may be able to swallow that type of contract if it feels Love could put its franchise over the top.
Love can’t be traded until late January but something could go down by the February 7th trade deadline. Remember, the Clippers dealt Blake Griffin in late January last season to the Pistons after he re-signed with Los Angeles for five years and $171MM in free agency.
That leads us to our question of the day: Do you think the Cavaliers will deal Kevin Love before the trade deadline? If so, which team do you think would be the best fit for him?
Please take to the comments section and weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Cleveland is going to trade him.
They need to…it was a mistake signing him to a new deal.
Good luck w/ that contract.
If they trade Kove, they would be going into a rebuild. Dan Gilbert doesn’t want to do that. Bontemps is the same one who said the Lakers won’t make the playoffs. I think they’ll be in the playoffs until they face the Warriors or Rockets. Hill, Smith, and Korver have partially guaranteed contracts next season. They would be easier to trade than Love making $30mm.
Gilbert doesn’t want to rebuild… I don’t *want* to go to the dentist but I don’t want my teeth to fall out either. He needs to rebuild.
KLove will not be traded if he wants to stay. Same as always. He said he does, which surprised me. Fine!
This year’s defense is so bad though. Everyone was worried about making up James’ 28ppg or so, & apparently thought somebody else was going to do the work on D.
KLove trade talk is annoying. It is not even known if there is a market for him.
BTW Trey Lyles is also off to a slow start.
Trey is starting slow. A lot of stars are showing signs of rust. Denver is playing like a team that won’t get left out on the last day of the season, like the last 2.
The Cavs were 29th in the league in defense last season. Nothing’s changed so far. Time to add Frank Vogel to the coaching staff. He’s a defensive minded coach.
I think a team would be willing to take him but they won’t be offering much in return.
Hornets would be a good match. But I think when it’s all said and done they’d have to include a 1st back to Cleveland.
Nope. Charlotte is saving their money for Kemba this summer.
Kemba’s leaving them this summer if/when they miss the playoffs (again) in the weak East. They have 90M+ payroll, even through 2019.
Today lost 127-106 to Raptors…
Have a feeling it would have to be a Mike Conley-like overpay, for him to stay.
Kemba and Mitch Kupchak have already talked, and mutually agreed to be their future going forward. Some of these guys already know what they will do, but the media will continue to do stuff like breaking up the Warriors, until free agency gets here.
Really its 3 games and people are panicking, people need patience
Trading away Love wouldn’t necessarily mean rebuilding. Cavs can trade quality (Love) for quantity.
Can send him with Korver to Wizards for Oubre, Porter, a first and a second. I suppose Cavs rather have a younger player in Porter making 25+ mil per year than Love.
Not likely, but Heat could possibly give up on Butler and trade for Love instead.
They’ve talked to several teams about Love the last few seasons. The Cavs say Love’s value has dropped significantly.
Washington is in the same boat as Portland, Houston, and Golden State. They have a lot of money committed to their guards. The Wizards would be strapped to the luxury tax long term.
They tried to trade Porter last summer to reduce their payroll. Wall and Beal have them financially strapped like the Cavs were with LeBron, Love, and Kyrie.
We gotta trade him at the deadline and I’d say 2 teams that need cap space(Portland) for the coming offseason and shooting(philly). I’d call Philly and give them Kevin Love for Markell’s Fultz and Dario Saric and a first and also would call Portland to make a 3 way trade and see if they are willing to give CJ to the sixers and take some future picks plus some 1 year deal vets. We land Fultz to run with Collin and Cedi for the foreseeable future and land an extra pick to get closer to getting our guy Zion Williamson and boom we have a bright future.
Love and Saric have similar trade value (I’d argue Saric is more valuable given his contract), so there’s zero chance Philly would add Fultz, a 1st, and a 2nd to that proposal.