The Cleveland Cavaliers might be in the running to make a trade for Kevin Love, but they could have to wait 30 days to make it happen. The team has announced getting No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins under contract which means he is unavailable for trades for the next 30 days per NBA rules. With several other teams entering the race to make a deal for the forward, does this contract hurt the Cavaliers' efforts?
Wiggins signed a four-year deal with a starting salary of $5.5 million. Because Wiggins is a rookie, he cannot be involved in a trade for the next month, but according to ESPN, that is not going to hurt the chances for Cleveland to land Love. Brian Windhorst reports that the Timberwolves are still intrigued by the idea of getting Wiggins over any other player offered in a trade and might be willing to wait that amount of time before finalizing a deal.
Minnesota is in no hurry to trade Love. The team has been bombarded with trade requests ever since the forward announced his intentions to test the free agent market. They had every opportunity to deal him before the NBA Draft, but held out and intend on doing the same thing now. The Timberwolves are well aware that interest will still be very high 30 days from now so there is no rush.
The Cavaliers could get a deal done quickly if they can involve a third team. It was reported earlier by ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports that the Cavaliers have been in contact with the Philadelphia 76ers about a three-team trade in order to get Love. The 76ers have the most cap space of any team in the league and would be willing to strike a deal. The Cavaliers want to send Dion Waiters to Philadelphia. The 76ers would deal Thaddeus Young to Minnesota and the Timberwolves would send Love to Cleveland. Of course there would be draft picks and possibly other players added to sweeten the deal up, but that is the basic structure.
Cleveland's willingness to deal Wiggins will keep them in the running for Love. The Golden State Warriors are reluctant to deal Klay Thompson and the rookie is a better offer than Taj Gibson or Jimmy Butler from Chicago. No deal is imminent. The Timberwolves will continue to shuffle their feet, aware that as the season grows closer, teams will get more desperate to make a deal.
