Kevin Love is an NBA champion.
But that doesn’t mean his future with the Cleveland Cavaliers is suddenly safe.
Per the Sporting News’ Sean Deveney:
But the fact that Love’s name comes up is a testament to the number of teams that recognize he could be his old All-Star self if he did not have to sacrifice to win with the Cavs. Even when it looked like Love was on the outs in Cleveland, even while many were focused on his weaknesses, NBA executives still considered Love to be an elite-level player. The view of one league executive summed it up: “I think most of us feel like he might be a bad fit with LeBron, but he’d be a really, really good fit for our team. And I mean, there’s almost 29 teams that would look at him and think that.”
…
The league executive speculated that if some deal gets seriously discussed, it probably won’t be until after Summer League and maybe not even until during or after the Olympics in August.
There was something else he added, though: “There’s going to be some wishful thinking involved,” the executive said. “Anyone’s going to listen to offers and some of those might come out in public. But they’re just offers. It doesn’t mean it is coming from Cleveland.”
Moral of the story: It’s unclear if the Cavaliers’ title is enough to keep Love in Cleveland. He remains an awkward fit, and not just because he doesn’t help the team too much against an opponent like the Golden State Warriors.
Against most teams, in fact, Kevin Love is an asset. The Warriors are a jarring exception. Love’s value to the Cavaliers cannot be measured against his performance versus them. But he does play LeBron James’ best position, power foward, and cannot survive for even short stretches at center.
James may fancy himself a small forward, but at 31, with a declining jumper, he is a better fit for the 4. And while the Cavaliers simply could look to stagger more of his and Kevin Love’s minutes, the idea of flipping the latter for some better-complementary depth is pretty intriguing, even now.
Remember, the Cavaliers just upset the Warriors. They are’t afforded the luxury of standing pat and remaining the clear title favorites. They must still keep up with Golden State, in addition to the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. That alone is enough cause for them to entertain any competitive trades offers for Love.
