The Kevin Love trade rumors are heating up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls and now teams like the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics or NY Knicks could look at jumping in, as the Cavs can't trade Andrew Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a few weeks after they signed him and that could allow another team to jump into the fold.
According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are the front runners for the deal and now that the trade talks are getting close, Love has pulled out of USA basketball to avoid injury. The Warriors also could be in the mix, but unless they offer Klay Thompson the Wolves aren't biting. The Cavs have Wiggins as the main part of their deal and he appears to be what will get things done. The Cavaliers feel they can be a championship contender with Love and pairing him with LeBron James could be key to changing the entire east.
The Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are battling for Love and that adds even more intrigue to a stacked central division. The Bulls signed Pau Gasol this offseason while Cleveland brought LeBron James back home and that doesn't even factor in that the Indiana Pacers were the best team in the east last season. Love will be the top player on the free agent market if he makes it there and teams will be going hard at him no matter what happens and that leaves the Wolves to find what they can for him as they decide on trading him or not.
The Golden State Warriors looked like they would get a deal done near the draft, but the two sides could not agree on compensation. The Timberwolves want Klay Thompson in any deal with Golden State and so far the team has been unwilling to put him in, as they do not want to break up the backcourt duo of Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Warriors have offered a package with David Lee, Harrison Barnes and a first round pick, but Minnesota was interested in getting Thompson.
Reports say that signing Wiggins will not affect the deal between the Wolves and Cavs, even though signing the rookie means he cannot be traded for 30 days. The Cavaliers originally offered Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and a first round pick to Minnesota, but they demanded Wiggins. Cleveland originally did not want to trade Wiggins, but eventually they relented and this comes as the Golden State Warriors are not willing to trade Klay Thompson.
The Cavaliers originally offered Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters along with a first round pick and they were not willing to add Wiggins, but that has changed. The Cavaliers want Love to pair with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and now a team in their division could swoop in. The Bulls reportedly were not willing to trade Taj Gibson earlier in the season, but after signing Pau Gasol they may have changed things up. The Bulls are an interesting option, as they would be title favorites with a Love deal and a healthy Derrick Rose. The Wolves are trying to get the most they can for Love and some think that they are playing the Warriors, Cavs and now the Bulls against each other to get a deal done.
