NBA Trade Rumors: The Kevin Love conundrum and possible solutions
By Jacob Gries
Detroit Pistons
What would a Blake Griffin-Love pairing even look like? (I can assure you they would give up a lot of points.) But look past that for a second and envision Griffin functioning in a similar role to Jokic. Much like Jokic, Griffin is one of the better passers in the league for his position and swapping out Andre Drummond (the trade chatter has already begun) for Love would open up the lane and let Dwane Casey modernize his offense around two supremely talented and offensively versatile big men.
The Detroit Pistons have a number of bad contracts coming off their books this offseason (looking at you Reggie Jackson and *checks team cap sheet* JOSH SMITH! Josh Smith is somehow collecting $5.3 million from the Pistons this season; keep gettin’ them checks Josh!) and will seemingly be looking to maximize whatever is left of Griffin’s prime.
If they can surround these two with a couple of 3-and-D guys and some shooting – Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown come to mind – they could return to the playoffs after a one-year sabbatical. At the very least, they’ll be entertaining on the offensive end, which may actually get fans to, you know, show up to their new arena.
It’s still not exactly clear what the Cavs plan to do with Love this year. If Altman gets blown away by a desperate team, he’ll probably send Love packing. But if the offers that come across his desk continue to treat Love like a negative asset, I think the best approach is revisiting this ordeal in the offseason.
Next. Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons and his odd schematic fit in Philly. dark
Two guys who wouldn’t be happy at all to see Love go are Sexton and Garland, as they would be losing their main pick-and-pop dance partner and a guy who helps keep the lane open for Sexton’s ferocious drives to the hoop. A full season with Love would definitely help the continued development of these two, which would be beneficial to the Cavs in the long-term. But one would think Love wants one last chance to compete for a title before the twilight of his career. We’ll see what happens.