The Cleveland Cavaliers are the front runners for the Kevin Love trade, as they have offered the Minnesota Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and now they are battling with the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors to make a deal and their target on those teams are Klay Thompson and Doug McDermott.
According to ESPN.com, the Cavs are still the favorites to land Love and while they signed Wiggins and can't trade him for 30 days, the teams are still in contact about a deal. The Bulls have the chance to try and pry Love away from the Cavs, adding to the intrigue in the central division, but all reports have the Cavaliers in the lead to get the deal done.
The Timberwolves are looking at Wiggins as the main part of the package and the Cavs previously did not want to put him in, originally offering Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters along with a first round pick. The Timberwolves are playing the Warriors and Cavaliers off each other and now the Chicago Bulls are involved and this comes as Minnesota wants Klay Thompson from Golden State. The Warriors have offered Harrison Barnes and David Lee in a deal, but the Wolves only want Thompson and will not trade unless they get him.
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 Warriors reportedly do not want to put in Thompson for a number of reasons, including that they think he is a star alongside Steph Curry, while they also are worried about defense. The Warriors turned into a top five defensive team last season with Mark Jackson as head coach and now with Steve Kerr taking over the team is hoping to keep that up. David Lee and Love would basically be a wash defensively, but losing Thompson means Curry could be more exposed and that is a concern for the franchise coming into the season while considering the deal.
Love has been one of the most consistent young players in basketball and he has put up some great numbers with the Wolves, including over 25 points and 12 rebounds last season. Wiggins has the potential to be a star and he comes out of Kansas after averaging 17 points and six rebounds per game. 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.