The Chicago Bulls might have re-entered the race and the Golden State Warriors might be dangling Klay Thompson in a potential deal, but the Cleveland Cavaliers still believe they are the frontrunners for Kevin Love. The Cavaliers might be right if they can swing a three-team trade with the Philadelphia 76ers as the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly in favor of a deal that involves forward Thaddeus Young.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein is reporting that the Timberwolves could be down to trade away Love if they can get Young in deal. NBA sources report that the Timberwolves and Cavaliers have been in constant contact about a potential deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, keeping Cleveland in the lead for Love. The only issue is finding out just how willing Philadelphia is to deal Young and what would the Cavaliers be willing to give up in return.
Young is one of the top young forwards in the league. He has two years remaining on his contract, the second being a player option all valued at $19.3 million. General manager Sam Hinkie expects Young to be on the roster come next season, but considering the 76ers have the most cap space of any team in the league, they are always willing to deal for young assets or draft picks in return.
ESPN reported earlier that the Cavaliers were offering up Dion Waiters in a deal and possibly Anthony Bennett if it meant that they would eventually land Love in deal. The 76ers have been linked to Waiters in the past and could be interested again. The Cavaliers might be able to give up draft picks instead of Bennett if they are lucky. Cleveland's ultimate goal is to have to sacrifice No. 1 draft pick, Andre Wiggins, who the Timberwolves have had their eye on from the start.
With Minnesota liking the idea of replacing Love with Young could leave the Bulls and Warriors on the outside looking in. Golden State is still uncertain about giving up Thompson considering he and Stephen Curry make up one of the better backcourts in the NBA. However, eventually Thompson is going to want a max contract and as of now, Golden State is not prepared to grant that. It could make him trade bait this offseason. The Bulls ideally do not want to offer European star Nikola Mirotic, but any other deal is simply not at the level of what the Cavaliers and Chicago have.
If Love is not traded to Cleveland in the coming weeks, he could easily not be traded at all. The deal hinges on the 76ers and if they back out, the Cavaliers have no other option but to offer up Wiggins or wait until next summer to try and win over the forward. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cavaliers will offer Love a max contract in free agency if they cannot trade for him and since they already have LeBron James, that deal would look pretty good.