With the departure of LeBron James, it has left a huge hole in Cleveland as their team was based around The King. It seems the Cavs have taken the rebuild route for next season, to let their young stars Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. to develop without the pressure of meeting LeBron’s standards. However, this leaves All-Star Kevin Love on the roster which may interfere with future plans.
With Love the only All-Star talent on a Cavaliers roster that is years away from competing, it may be best for the Cavs to part ways with the power forward in search of younger assets. Here are the three destinations K-Love could be playing in next season.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves fans would love to see Kevin back and with a more complete squad, he could be a great addition. With fellow All-Star Jimmy Butler frustrated with some of the Timberwolves younger players — namely Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins — they may need to push for someone as experienced as Kevin Love, as well as sharpshooter Kyle Korver to try and sway Butler’s perception of the team. With Wiggins part of the problem, and not developing as well as the Timberwolves hoped he would when they first acquired him, we could see a possible trade package including Andrew Wiggins and Taj Gibson heading to Cleveland, reversing the trade that sent Love to the Cavs in the first place.
2. Washington Wizards
The Eastern Conference is up for grabs for the first time in years. With LeBron at the Lakers, many teams in the East are ready for action. The Wizards have John Wall, Bradley Beal and the new arrival of Dwight Howard, and may be able to do some damage in the postseason if John Wall can finally put together a fully healthy season. Kevin Love would be a great addition to the Wizards, as he can hit the three ball and grab rebounds, plus with Love’s iconic full court passes, they would be lethal in transition. The Wizards would have to trade young star Otto Porter to be able to add Kevin Love, but it could be worth it, and make the Wizards a serious threat in the East.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
With James and Kyrie gone, Love can now flourish as the number one option and put out performances like he did in his days at Minnesota. If he can get back to this form, his trade value could increase massively. They could tank and showcase the talent of Love and near the trade deadline, Cleveland could be blowing up with offers for Love. Tyronn Lue has given the option to Kevin Love to make his own decision this season and he seems like he is interested in staying and being a big part of their team.
The 29-year-old All-Star is the youngest of Cavs big contracts next season and also the most talented, which should gather the most interest on the market come trade deadline. This could make him a valuable asset for Cleveland to acquire a package of young players and picks to add onto their roster if he can stay healthy and get off to a strong start next season like the Kevin Love we saw in Minnesota.
