The Golden State Warriors are the frontrunners for the Kevin Love trade rumors, as they have added Klay Thompson to their package and names like David Lee, Harrison Barnes and Kevin Martin could be moving in the deal for GS and the Timberwolves and now Minnesota has to weigh the offers they have from other teams, including the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls.
ESPN is reporting that the Warriors are willing to add Thompson to their trade package for Love and that could help put the team over the top, as he is one of the best young shooters in the league. Thompson played very well last season and he could be the key to making this deal possible, as he is young enough to build around and the addition of him to the package and Lee could be a solid replacement for Love for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has to weigh whether to trade Love now for a package or lose him as a free agent next season, as he has made it clear he is opting out of his contract to test the market when he gets the chance.
The Warriors are at an interesting place franchise-wise, as they had a great season and won over 50 games last year, but the team opted to fire Mark Jackson and bring in Steve Kerr to take over. Sending Thompson to the Wolves would mean breaking up the young and talented duo of Stephen Curry and Thompson, which Warriors fans call the "Splash Brothers". The Warriors feel that this move will push them into the upper level of the western conference with teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Adding Love means the team can compete in the west and if they pull off this trade getting bounced in the first round will not be acceptable.
ESPN.com is reporting that the Warriors would send Thompson along with David Lee and a future first round pick for Love and Kevin Martin and that likely means Love would sign a long term extension there. Love has been mentioned in trade rumors since before last season and everyone has been eyeing the summer of 2015 for the chance to sign him as a free agent, but this time around it may not ever get to that point.
Love has been the most talked about player this summer in the NBA and he is a trade target for no less than eight teams, including the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns as well as the NY Knicks and LA Lakers. The Nuggets also are a team that is interested in trading for Love and they have proposed a deal involving Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler along with a first round pick in the draft this year. The Cleveland Cavaliers have also been mentioned as a team in the mix, as they have the first overall pick in the draft and they could try and pull off a deal if they opt to pass up on taking Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins at number 1 now that Joel Embiid is injured.