The Minnesota Timberwolves are working on a Kevin Love trade with the Cavaliers and Bulls and they are interested in offloading Kevin Martin and JJ Barea in the deal, but since the Cavs need some help with that salary dump, teams like the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers are potential options for a third team in the trade according to Pro Basketball Talk.
The Celtics and the Sixers have the cap space to make the move, while the Nuggets are interested in getting Love themselves but could be happy with getting a player or two. According to Pro Basketball Talk, one reason the trade of Love is taking longer than expected for the Cavaliers and Bulls is due to the fact that the Wolves want some salary cap relief. Barea and Martin are making a nice chunk of money and the Cavaliers pulled off a trade to get some nonguaranteed contracts from the Jazz and that should help get a deal done.
The Wolves are looking to get as much as they can for Love and they want to move salary in the deal as well to give the team some options for next summer. The team also may want more NBA ready players than prospects and that is why the competition between the Cavaliers and Bulls is so interesting. The Cavaliers are willing to trade Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett along with a first round pick, but the Bulls have players that can play right now and that could trump the potential of those players.
Wiggins has the chance to be a great player, but Flip Saunders is not looking for a hard rebuild and that is why the Bulls offer could be considered. Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Bulls are willing to offer Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic and possibly Taj Gibson and that could be more enticing than the Cavs. The Bulls love Mirotic and they think he can play right away after getting experience in Europe, while Gibson has been a fine player for Chicago and he could be a player to keep and build around.
The Cavaliers originally were not willing to give up Wiggins, but the Wolves have gotten past that and now either way, the deal will take some time since McDermott and Wiggins signed rookie deals. The teams can't trade those players for 30 days, but sources say that should not stop the trade from going down. According to ESPN.com, the Warriors are fading from the talks because they do not want to trade Klay Thompson.
The Wolves are driving up the price on Love and they are looking to get the best package they can find for him. The Timberwolves can hold onto Love until the trade deadline, but they will lose some leverage since that is closer to when Love can be a free agent next summer. Saunders is hoping to get a deal done soon and he wants players that can come in and make an impact right away and that is why many think the Bulls have an advantage over the Cavs.
