The Cleveland Cavaliers held onto Kevin Love following the NBA trade deadline, and to address the state of his trade value, simply, it’s not good.
To find Kevin Love on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster following the trade deadline was a surprise to some Wine & Gold faithful considering all of the trade rumors.
But the Cavs kept Love, and his grumpy-ridden season, as the former All-Star is in the first year of the four-year contract extension he signed in the summer of 2018.
Perhaps it will be easier to trade Love as time passes and more money comes off his contract, but the trade deadline revealed that the future isn’t promising for the return Love would yield.
Portland, long rumored to be a destination for Love, was talking to the Cavs about a deal. They offered Kent Bazemore and Hassan Whiteside, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd.
Whiteside makes around $27 million, while Bazemore earns $19 million, so the Cavs would’ve had to add another player to this deal, because Love makes $28 million. The name of the player might the Blazers have been targeting remains a mystery.
Perhaps it was Tristan Thompson, maybe not. Either way, we know that no draft picks were offered, as signing Love to the extension two summers ago continues to look like a big mistake.
The Cavs clearly hold Love in high esteem, but the rest of the league doesn’t share their attitude. Love’s on the wrong side of 30, and while he can still be a productive player, he’s battled injury and teams have to be hesitant about his $28 million price tag.
The Blazers might have wanted more value out the deal, which is why I speculated Thompson could’ve been a fit. He’s an offensive rebounding maven, exactly the type of glass cleaner you need in the playoffs. To sweeten the pot, his deal would’ve come off the books at the end of the season.
Now, the Cavs march to the lottery with both players in the mix, playing for newly promoted head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Love’s been an unhappy camper all year, so perhaps Bickerstaff can help the veteran up his value for the summer. Really, it’s the Cavs’ only hope of getting a good asset in return.