Andrew Wiggins reads the news. He has heard the rumors of a potential trade happening as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their pursuit of Kevin Love. As the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Wiggins' stock is still high considering he is a bit of an unknown and if the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to give up Love, Wiggins must be included in the return package. However, will Cleveland remain true to their original stance of not sending the shooting guard away?
Cleveland has been going back and forth about whether or not to trade Wiggins. First the team did not want to include him in a deal, but LeBron James wants Love on the team and Cleveland might be favoring just catering to his needs instead. However, the Cavaliers could be putting a small hitch into the Love trade this coming week. According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are set to get Wiggins under contract this week. The team had been delaying the negotiations in hopes that Minnesota would pull off a deal for Love quickly, but the more they stall the more Cleveland must just bite the bullet and sign Wiggins.
"I let my agent and my support system handle that, I just love playing the game of basketball and I know the NBA is a business," Wiggins said, via NBATV.com.
The issue with getting the guard under contract is that per league rules, the Cavaliers will not be able to trade Wiggins for 30 days. That could hurt Cleveland's chances of getting Love. Right now, the team is presenting a package that includes Wiggins and either Anthony Bennett or Dion Waiters. Bennett is the easier player to deal considering how little of an impact he made last season. James reportedly favors trading off Wiggins if it means getting Love in return, but the contract will make that much harder.
Once Wiggins gets under contract, the Cavaliers are estimated to have around $1.4 million left in salary cap space. They got Mike Miller under contract along with James Jones. It can be assumed that the remaining money will be used for Ray Allen. Right now the veteran is considering between the Cavaliers and retirement as James recruits his former teammate to Cleveland. Allen is supposed to be making a decision in the coming week regarding his future. The Houston Rockets have also been in contact, but considering the pressure coming from James, Cleveland is the favorite.
