The Kevin Love trade rumor talk will start up again this summer despite LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony becoming free agents and teams like the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers all could be in the mix for the Timberwolves star and even if a deal doesn't go down, calls will be made and the groundwork could lead to a trade at the 2015 deadline.
Kevin Love has been the center of attention when it comes to teams building for the future and there are a number of teams that would love nothing more than to trade for him right now, including the Lakers and the Knicks. Love signed an extension with the Timberwolves a couple years ago and they gave him an opt out to ease his mind and now that opt out could be what takes him away from the franchise. Love did right by the team that drafted him for no reason and he didn't have to do it, but he did and he gave them a few years to try and turn the team into a contender.
Last season the team missed the playoffs but at least challenged for them in a tough west and if they take a step back this season, Love is as good as gone. The team hopes to convince him to stay, but with the way he has played it's very unlikely that he remains in Minnesota, as he is looked at as one of the best players in the league and this past season he averaged 26 points to rank fourth in the league and also grabbed 12 rebounds per game. His career averages are just under 20 points and 12 rebounds per game and if the Wolves don't trade him this summer or next season, they could end up losing him for nothing.
The toughest decision for teams is whether to do that or not and the Wolves are in a situation like what happened with Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, as they had their futures speculated on a great deal and both ended up getting traded. Love will be the main focus for those teams and ESPN.com writer Marc Stein reported that the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers and Rockets all could make calls to the Timberwolves about potential deals this summer and even if no deals go down, it could lay down work for any trades that could happen at the deadline.
The Rockets plan on being busy this offseason and it comes after the first year with Dwight Howard and they could look at both Rajon Rondo and Carmelo Anthony as targets. The team is going to make a push for Anthony if he opts out and the fact that the salary cap is expected to rise will give the team some help in keeping up with the Knicks, who can offer the most years and the highest amount of money. The Rockets have long been in love with Rondo and after almost pulling off a trade last year, they could look again at making a move, but the Celtics likely will ask for Chandler Parsons and that is what hung up the deal last season.
