The Kevin Love trade rumors are heating up and there is a ton going on for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, as a three team trade could be developing with the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics or Denver Nuggets as potential options, as the Timberwolves want to offload the contracts of Kevin Love and JJ Barea and with the Cavaliers trading Andrew Wiggins, they need another team to absorb the contracts.
The Cavaliers and Wolves have been in talks for a while and now things are starting to take shape, but no deal is imminent. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Timberwolves and Cavaliers are looking for a third team to help get a deal done, as the Wolves want to move some bloated contracts and right now the Cavs are not in position to take those on. The Sporting News writes that the Nuggets, Sixers and Celtics could be in the mix and this comes as Denver is also possibly looking to get in on the Kevin Love deal themselves.
The Wolves want to move both Martin and Barea in the deal for Love and the Cavaliers need some help to get that money on their cap and they likely can't do it. The team pulled a trade with the Jazz for some nonguaranteed contracts that will help it go down, but they likely need a third team to finalize things and get the Wolves money off their books. Once this trade goes down, it likely will mirror the three team deal for Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard with the Lakers, Magic and Sixers.
The Celtics have been mentioned for a while as a wild card in the Love talks, as they have players and picks to move to get a trade done. The team isn't looking to make a deal for Love right now, but they also could look at helping facilitate the deal to get a solid player on their roster if it's not a blockbuster for Love.
The Chicago Bulls have also jumped into the fold for Love and now they are battling with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors to get a deal done. The Boston Celtics also could be lurking and the Timberwolves are loving this, as the teams are battling and they are trying to push the price up on Love and it appears to be working.
The Cavaliers originally did not want to give up Wiggins in the trade, but now reports have the team willing to trade him. The Cavs likely are offering a deal with Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a future first round pick and this comes after Cleveland originally proposed a deal with Dion Waiters instead of Wiggins. The Timberwolves have played the Cavs and Warriors off each other and with the Bulls also involved things could continue to build up.
The Warriors have been unwilling to trade Klay Thompson and that is a main reason why a deal had not happened with Golden State. The team has offered Minnesota David Lee and Harrison Barnes along with a first round pick, but Minnesota is looking for more and Cleveland appears willing to meet their demands.