Phoenix Suns
The Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Tyler Johnson, Aaron Baynes, and Cam Johnson.
The Phoenix Suns receive: Kevin Love
DeAndre Ayton, Kelly Oubre Jr, Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, and Kevin Love. A well rounded starting 5.
Simply put, Tyler Johnson and, Aron Baynes are free agents at the end of this season. While most teams who are trading away an All-Star caliber player like Kevin Love might be focusing on getting numerous assets by way of draft picks or numerous young prospects, the Cavaliers seem quite keen to get Love’s contract off the books. Trading for expiring contracts in Tyler Johnson and Aron Baynes goes a long way in removing that long term money.
Cam Johnson is no mere throw-in to the deal. Drafted by the Suns this year, he has potential as a shooter and is a lengthy small forward who has shown potential as a floor spacer and as a defender. Capable of staying in front of his man with quick feet, Johnson if nurtured correctly could be a very good defender in the NBA.
His shooting talent is also very apparent. Like most rookies, it will take some time for Cam to find his legs in the NBA. The jump from college to the NBA is enormous so some growing pains are to be expected. If he can grow into his body and develop his skill set he will be a very solid player.
With Kevin Love on this Suns team, floor spacing for the Suns should be no problem. With Ayton, a fixture in the paint and the likes of Rubio, Booker, Oubre and Love all capable shooters, the ball should move around quite nicely for this team.
Adding Love’s scoring touch will also help this Suns team to win more games. With the Sun’s like the Trailblazers and Magic currently sitting around the 8-10 seed in each of their conferences, a push in one direction or the other is needed to finalize the team’s plans both short and long term.
While Kevin Love may no longer be the monster we all remember with the Timberwolves, capable of putting up 30/30 games, he is still a borderline All-star caliber performer. A change of scenery for Love and the Cavaliers seems mutually beneficial at this moment in time.
Hopefully, Love finds a home that he can get back to playing like the Kevin Love of old.