In 24 hours Kevin Love will officially be a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Months after informing the media that he would in fact be testing the waters of free agency, the Minnesota Timberwolves dealt away their franchise star to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Andrew Wiggins' finally available to be traded after signing his rookie contract, details are emerging as to who gets what in the deal which differs from reports.
It was known that Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett were to be traded in the deal for Kevin Love. However, it was originally reported that the Philadelphia 76ers were also involved in the trade, sending Thaddeus Young to Minnesota in exchange for Bennett. However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Bennett is not leaving Minnesota. The Timberwolves will acquire Young, but instead the 76ers receivers a first-round draft pick and the expiring contracts of Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and Alexey Shved.
Wojnarowski reports that Bennett was never to be included in the Philadelphia trade despite all of the reports coming out saying otherwise. The Timberwolves are happy with their roster despite the loss of Love. They now have the last two No. 1 draft picks for the forward. Young is a stable player that continues to report. Team president and head coach Flip Saunders meant what he said when he promised Minnesota would still compete this season with Love gone and they have a roster that can make some noise.
The deal also makes sense for the 76ers. Young was planning on leaving by the end of the upcoming season. He has two years remaining on his deal, the second being a player option. He never intended on sticking around. Philadelphia loves expiring contracts and they just got two solid ones that can help clear cap space for the future.
The deal cannot be made totally official until 12:01 a.m on Saturday. Love has not been heard from since the trade was announced. LeBron James picked his words carefully when discussing the rumors simply saying that if Cleveland really did get the forward, they would be championship contenders in the upcoming season. Wiggins told media that he can play for any team, he just simply wants to play. Bennett deleted everything Cleveland from his social media accounts, declining to comment when asked about the move.
Bennett and Wiggins will make a solid young tandem for the Timberwolves. Now the team must look towards the future. Ricky Rubio will be expecting a max contract in the next offseason when he is a restricted free agent. Thaddeus Young will have the option of leaving as well. The team must be prepared to shell out some money.
