The Golden State Warriors are a team that could be in line for a big offseason, as they have come up as an option in Kevin Love trade rumors and while no deal is imminent, the Minnesota Timberwolves could find some talent among Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green as Steve Kerr takes over as head coach and the Warriors along with the Chicago Bulls could be the top options for Love over the Houston Rockets and NY Knicks.
Love is not yet a free agent and he can't be one until the 2015 season at the earliest and that is why trade talk has once again come up regarding the arguable best player in the NBA not names LeBron or Durant. Love has been remarkably consistent in his career and last season he averaged 26 points and grabbed over 12 rebounds per game and his scoring was in the top 10 of the league and he also factored into the MVP voting this year and all that is adding up to a departure from Minnesota.
Love signed an extension with the team a couple years ago and to get him to do that they had to put in the opt out and that is why this summer and next summer are so big for Love. The Wolves would love to keep him in Minnesota, but all signs point to him leaving at some point and the last ditch effort they have is to hold Love into the trading deadline next season and if they are contending, they could convince him to try and stay. According to ESPN.com, that is not happening and the ship has sailed on Love remaining in Minnesota and he has already identified some teams that he wouldn't mind playing for, the Warriors being one of them.
The ESPN.com report says that Love has not demanded a trade yet, but that he is frustrated by being stuck in Minnesota and that if he doesn't get traded, he will be using his opt out next summer. The Wolves now are getting into the Carmelo and Dwight Howard territory, as the team now has to decide whether to trade him now and get something, or risk losing him as a free agent for nothing. The Nuggets and Magic opted to trade their stars for something rather than let them leave as a free agent and this season the Chicago Bulls did the same thing with Luol Deng.
Love will net the team a nice package and the Warriors are one franchise that could make for a sweet deal, as they have young talent that could get moved, including Thompson and Barnes. Other teams mentioned by ESPN.com includes the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and while those don't seem like the most obvious choices, they have enough draft picks to be in play and could pull the trigger if Minnesota is open to making a move. Even if Love is not traded during the summer, these teams could lay the groundwork for deals now that end up going down during the deadline. Either way, Love is not long for Minnesota.
