It seems inevitable that the offseason will be filled with trade rumors involving Cavs forward Kevin Love.
Ever since Kevin Love signed his contract extension with the Cavs a few years ago analysts and fans everywhere were trying to trade him Blake Griffin style. Actually, let’s back up a bit. Ever since Love arrived in Cleveland there were individuals trying to send him packing to get a different player to help then Cavaliers forward LeBron James, the later contract extension just made them more common. The fact of the matter is that when the offseason does begin it will come with more trade rumors involving Kevin Love.
Part of the reason for the rumors will be Love’s age and salary. Love is 32 and and will make $31.2 million in 2020-21. That’s a lot of money committed to an older player for at team that is in no man’s land. The Cavaliers are not good enough to contend and but not bad enough to be in all out tank mode. Sure, the team played like hot garbage a lot last season, but their performance doesn’t quite match up with some of the talent on their roster. There is also what appears to be good young core of players that the front office should build around in Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., and Darius Garland. Keeping Love with this group of players does not necessarily mesh with what their timeline should be.
There is also the fact of the matter that moving Kevin Love would open up opportunities in the draft. This puts Cleveland in a situation where they can take the best player available regardless of position. If Cleveland is going to climb out of the basement of the Eastern Conference taking BPA is the way to go. They are not at point in time in regards to roster construction that they can pick and choose a specific position to draft. Take the best player they can and figure the rest out later. If moving Kevin Love makes that possible, it must be under consideration.
Will the Cleveland Cavaliers actually trade Kevin Love? Nobody knows. There seems to be an overestimation of just how good the current version of the team is. The reality of the situation is that the Cavs need a ton of help and they must consider every avenue to improve the team. While Kevin Love is a recognizable name, they may be better off in the long term if they do indeed move him. A short term sacrifice for long term success is the way to go.
