Kevin Love made it abundantly clear that he’s ready to move on from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question now is: where? As a 31-year-old sharpshooting veteran, his services would be useful for a lot of teams. But his ultra-expensive contract coupled with a troubling injury history has made any potential relocation complicated.
Still, Kevin Love was among those listed in Bleacher Report’s list of stars who will likely move teams this summer. And it’s easy to see why they came to that conclusion.
Pretty much everyone assumed he signed his four-year extension last summer under the guise that he’d be moved elsewhere. He carried himself, at times, as if the Cleveland Cavaliers went back on the promise of rerouting him to a contender and were holding him hostage.
The departure of head coach John Beilein has helped smooth things over, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor. These good vibes feel…temporary. Love turns 32 in September. He doesn’t make much sense on a team playing the long game.
He also named three possible destinations for the All-Star big man. At a glance, there are a lot of teams with much to gain by bringing in Love. Three teams in particular, however, seem to be in the lead for his services.
Here’s a look at the three as things stand now:
Phoenix Suns
With Devin Booker and a cast of young stars, the Suns are hoping that they’re only one piece away from title contention. Love could be that piece. He could stretch the floor and help grab rebounds on both ends and a pairing with fellow big man Deandre Ayton would make a nice one-two punch in the frontcourt. A possible trade scenario could include a swap of Love for Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers struggled to capitalize on the talents of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum this season. While part of it was due to injury, the roster is composed of too many players that don’t necessarily fit well together. With a sense of urgency surrounding the franchise and their race to a Championship, they won’t just sit around and do nothing this summer.
Kevin Love is a guy who can add even more potency to an offense that features Carmelo Anthony, Jusuf Nurkic, and the two backcourt stars Lillard and McCollum. That alone might be able to cover for their faults defensively.
San Antonio Spurs
Many are of the belief that it’s time for a reboot in San Antonio. As their stars continue to age, their old-school play style is becoming more of a liability than anything. With an offense that features DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs desperately need a guy who can light it up from downtown. Love can be that guy for them if he is willing to buy-in to what they are doing.
