The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to stress they are not trading Kevin Love and remain committed to the forward. However, that is not stopping the rumors from flying as teams hope the right offer gets Love dealt before the deadline. Even with reports of a mega trade headed to Cleveland, LeBron James is making it clear that Love is staying put with the Cavaliers.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News got the ball rolling over All-Star Weekend when he reported that the Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics were working towards a mega trade that would send Love to Boston and Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland while the Knicks got draft picks and role players to rebuild with. For his part, Anthony was quick to deny the idea while speaking with Sirius XM Radio. James is doing the same as he stressed any rumor involving Love is false.
"It's false," LeBron said, via ProBasketballTalk.com. "It's the only thing I can look at it and say it's false. That's the last thing guys are worried about right now are trade talks from our team. One thing about this business is you can only control what you can control. Things that you can't control, you can't let it bother you, and I've learned that over the years. There is so much that goes on in professional sports that if you just focus on what you can control, everything else will take care of itself."
It would not shock anyone if Love was traded at some point. The Cavaliers are in a win-now mode and Love is the best asset they have. According to Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers are targeting several players at the deadline including Trevor Ariza from the Houston Rockets and Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks. They are looking to get help with 3-point shooting and upgrades at the wing.
If the Cavaliers are making a trade, they will likely try to send Timofey Mozgov packing before anyone else. Then, players like Iman Shumpert or Matthew Dellavedova could be a target in trade packages. It appears the Cavaliers feel they are better with Love than without. However, if the team does not win a championship this year, the chances are high they breakup part of the roster. That could mean Love is sent packing. Trading a super star at the deadline is rare in the NBA, but anything is possible come the offseason.
