The Kevin Love trade talks are continuing between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors and now the Minnesota Timberwolves have to decide whether or not to trade their star and they are looking at Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson as the center of packages and if those deals fail, teams like the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, NY Knicks, LA Lakers or Boston Celtics could jump in.
According to ESPN.com reported Marc Stein, the Cavaliers are now willing to trade Andrew Wiggins in a deal for Love after previously holding him out and as that goes on, the team is working on signing him to his rookie contract. If the Cavaliers sign Wiggins to a contract it means the team cannot trade him for 30 days, but sources say that it will not impact the talks between Minnesota and Cleveland. Stein wrote last week that he thinks the deal will get done between the two sides and that the only thing that will hold things up is time, as the Wolves will try and get as much as they can for Love.
Earlier this offseason Love made it clear that he is hoping to test the market in free agency when he gets the chance and that comes with his opt out after next season. The Wolves have asked for Wiggins and Klay Thompson in their deals with the Cavaliers and Warriors and so far Golden State has not been willing to add him into the package. ESPN.com reports that the Cavaliers first offered Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and a first round pick for Love, but that did not satisfy the Timberwolves. The team now is willing to deal Wiggins, Bennett and a first round pick to the Wolves, but Minnesota could be asking for more.
Three former/future first round picks and two overall is quite the package for Minnesota and some in the NBA think that they are using the Cavs and the Warriors to drive up the price on Love. Coming into the offseason the Wolves if they wanted to try and keep Love while making another run at him staying in Minnesota, but now it appears that Love has no desire to sign without hitting the market first. 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.
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. Coming into the offseason, teams like the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets were considered options for a trade and now it looks to be down to the Cavs and Warriors, while the Lakers and Knicks are targets in free agency if he makes it there in 2015.
