The Kevin Love trade rumors are starting to heat up and teams like the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards may want to get in on the action alongside the Warriors, Knicks, Lakers, Cavaliers and Bulls, as the team has DeMarcus Cousins to pair with Love and could use Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Williams as trade bait, while the Wiz have a prime talent in Bradley Beal and those two teams could be wild cards over the summer.
The Kings were very active on the trade market last season with deals for Williams and Rudy Gay and while those moves did make them into playoff contenders, the team feels like it's on the right track. The Kings have a new ownership group and a strong fan base behind them and now that they are in Sacramento long term, they could be more willing to make a big move like this to try and build back a winning team like they had a decade ago.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Kings are willing to make the deal for Love despite the fact that there will be no assurances that he will sign an extension. The Kings and new owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Pete D'Alessandro and willing to make a big splash for the fans and while it could be a major setback if they give up players and then lose Love, it might be a risk worth taking. The team would like to see Cousins and Love play alongside each other, but they may have to give him up in the trade. If not, the team has options in their draft pick along with As Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas, with Gay coming into a player option year.
Love is the main centerpiece this summer and teams like the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Knicks are all expected to make runs at him. The Suns and the Boston Celtics also could be players in the competition for Love, as they have the first round pick to make the deal with the Timberwolves. The Kings are looking to make splashes this offseason and it comes after they traded for Gay and Derrick Williams last season and also signed Cousins to a $60 million extension.
Love has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA over the past few years and he has made it clear that he will test the market and will not sign an extension with Minnesota. The longer the team waits the more leverage they will lose and that means a trade could go down this summer. For a team like the Bulls to get involved they will have to deal Carlos Boozer or Taj Gibson, while the Rockets also could get involved but they will have to trade Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. The Wolves are hoping to contend this season and convince Love to stay, but he seems intent on hitting the market.