After winning a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, Kevin Love has been one of the better players on the Cavs, especially after LeBron departed in 2018. While he has dealt with injuries, he remains an intriguing trade target for teams to consider.
Over the course of his 12-year career in the NBA, Kevin Love has averaged 18.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and has shot over 37% from three-point range as a power-forward. His shooting attributes and rebounding abilities have made him a very valuable trade target for numerous teams around the league, but the question that remains is if the Cleveland Cavaliers are willing to move on from him.
After expressing his desire to remain with Cleveland at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season and as an appreciation of his loyalty over the years, the Cavaliers’ front office decided to give Love a four-year $120M contract that was expected at the time to keep Love with this organization through the 2022-23 season, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent at age 35.
Now, with the youth movement in Cleveland, it would make perfect sense for the Cleveland Cavaliers to unload Love’s massive contract that has their finances tied down for the next few years. He does not fit into their plans long-term and as he gets older, will likely start to see his role diminish, so in order to get the most value for him, the Cavs should make a strong push to move him around this upcoming season’s trade deadline.
Not only can Kevin Love make a difference for a championship contender, but the Cavaliers could receive some valuable draft assets they can use to escalate their rebuild, not to mention they will free up roughly $90M in cap space over the next three years.
If the Cavaliers decide to trade Kevin Love, here are the three trade partners they should consider in order to get the most out of a potential trade.
