NBA Trade Rumors: The Cleveland Cavaliers have a decision to make regarding Kevin Love and his desire to play elsewhere
Let’s start with some things we know to be true.
First, some hard-hitting analysis: the Cleveland Cavaliers are not a good basketball team this year (duh). They currently sit at 10-24, tied for 13th in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks. Any time you’re being mentioned in the same breath as the Knicks, you know things have gone awry (unless we’re talking about ping-pong balls).
The next fact that we are absolutely sure of is that Kevin Love is undoubtedly the best player on this misshapen roster that’s currently masquerading as a real NBA team. Love deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s handled himself ever since he inked a four-year extension in the wake of LeBron’s departure two summers ago.
This year, he’s sharing the floor with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton a lot – two promising, if unspectacular (so far) scoring-oriented guards – which often means he’s the best passer and facilitator on the floor.
In an NBA that is increasingly dominated by high-usage guards who can both score and get their teammates involved, it can’t be fun for Love to continuously watch Sexton’s aimless forays into the lane or Garland’s indecisiveness in the pick-and-roll. (Garland is only 19, coming off a lost college season, so this isn’t all that surprising or concerning in the long-term.)
Considering general manager Koby Altman’s moves over the last one-and-a-half years, it’s also become abundantly clear that this organization has no real interest in legitimately competing for a playoff spot anytime soon. Now, say Garland and Sexton came into the league a little more polished and ready to impact wins-and-losses more than they have to this point. Would Altman and the rest of the organization push harder for the eighth seed in a weak East and maybe make a few smaller win-now moves? It’s possible – maybe even probable considering the relatively weak draft coming this year – but with the current circumstances, Altman and Co. remain steadfast in their commitment to this lengthy rebuild.
Now, let’s wade into murkier territory, where everything becomes increasingly cloudy and unclear: Love’s trade value has been a popular topic of conversation this year in league circles. Due to his contract – nearly $29 million this year with three more years totaling a little more than $90 million – many have speculated that he won’t bring a hefty return back in a trade, instead of serving as a mechanism for the Cavs to get some long-term salary off their books.
But much of this conversation misses the point: Love is still a useful, productive NBA player! A tad injury-prone? Sure. A guy without a real defensive position in the new pace-and-space NBA? That could also be true, and multiple matchups against the Warriors in the NBA Finals didn’t do much to dispel this notion. But Love could really help any playoff hopeful by bringing over his unique combination of outside shooting (37% from 3 this year on 6.3 attempts/game), tenacious rebounding and pretty outlet passes.
The real question is: will a team pushing for a playoff spot believe that he can impact winning this year to the extent that it’s worth giving up actual assets for him? Or should the Cavs wait and let him play out this season while re-engaging in trade discussions once the season ends?
I’m generally of the belief that this season isn’t the time to search out a Love deal, for a number of reasons.
First, for all the talk of a “wide open” race for the title this season, there appear to be only three or four legitimate title contenders – the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, and maybe the 76ers. It doesn’t look as if any of these teams will be making substantial changes mid-season, as they will likely try to make moves on the margins that will bolster their already strong shot at a championship.
Next, the NBA will be flush with cap space this upcoming offseason. Most of the deals from the 2016 spending spree will be coming off team’s books, which lines up perfectly for…one of the worst free-agent classes of all time.
(Seriously, go find a list of the most attractive free agents in the class of 2020. It’s bleak.)
This leads to a natural disconnect, as teams with playoff aspirations for the 2020-21 season will be looking to use their cap space to vastly improve while facing options that aren’t all that appealing. There are some intriguing teams that, on top of having an abundance of cap space this coming summer, aren’t exactly what you picture when you think of free-agent destinations.
Let’s examine a few.