The trade deadline has come and gone with Kevin Love remaining a Cleveland Cavalier.
Despite a clear desire to be traded, the team was unable to find a deal they deemed worthy enough for the All-Star big man. And, so, his next chapter will have to wait a few more months.
But just because the Cavs didn’t trade him does not mean there were no offers. In a report by Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, he details one offer made by the Blazers involving Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore:
“The only one that I know definitely equated to just a salary dump. Portland offered Bazemore and Whiteside, which essentially would’ve matched Kevin’s salary. But both of those are expiring contracts and the Cavs would’ve received no real assets in return. Portland eventually sent Bazemore to Sacramento.
Most teams were telling the Cavs they’d need to include assets just to get them to take Kevin’s contract. The Cavs were asking for a first-round pick. No one even came close to that. I’d expect them to resume trade talks on Kevin this summer.”
Essentially, because both deals were expiring, it would have been more of a salary dump more than anything. For a guy like Love (5x All-Star, career 18-point per game scorer), the Cavs are convinced they can get more.
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, Love and his agent will continue to pursue trade options in the summer.
“Kevin and [agent] Jeff [Schwartz] wanted a trade, but I think both knew it probably wasn’t going to happen,” the former GM said. “It’s something they’ll push for again in the summer. I think he’ll be traded this summer since the free-agent market is so bare and the draft doesn’t look like anything special. Teams need to add talent somehow.”
So it’s likely that Love will be traded at some point in the summertime. Where that location might be, however, is still very much up in the air.
It will be interesting to see what transpires in the weeks and months to come.
