Utah Jazz Receive: F Kevin Love & G Collin Sexton

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: G Mike Conley, UTA 2022 1st Round Pick & UTA 2024 1st Round Pick

There are two big questions about this trade and they both revolve around the players the Cleveland Cavaliers would be giving up. The Cavs have not made it clear whether or not they want to trade Kevin Love and as things stand right now, they have not even explored the possibility of trading Collin Sexton. 

In two seasons with the Cavaliers, Collin Sexton has arguably been their best player, averaging 18.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and shooting 45.4% from the floor, 39.6% from three-point range. Not to mention, Sexton has not missed a single game in two years with the Cavaliers. 

Kevin Love on the other hand has missed some time due to various reasons but has still been a very consistent player. While he is not the double-double machine he once was early in his career, Love is still an avid rebounder and his biggest strength is his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter. 

Utah was the best three-point shooting team last season, shooting about 38% from deep and the addition of Kevin Love would help keep them near the top in the NBA in three-point shooting. While Mike Conley was great for the Jazz last season, he is now 33-years old and does not really present a better opportunity to win a championship as Kevin Love and Collin Sexton do. 

Last season with the Jazz, Conley played in 47 games, averaging 14.4 points, 4.4 assists and shooting 40.9% from the floor and 37.5% from three-point range. Other than his three-point shooting, Conley’s numbers were close to being career low’s, which is not a good sign for Utah. 

With only one year left on his current contract and not much more of an upside to work with, the Utah Jazz would be smart to send Conley and some first-round draft picks to the Cavs in exchange for Kevin Love and Collin Sexton. With that being said, let’s take a closer look as to why this trade benefits both teams.