The Kevin Love trade talks are moving with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls and now the Timberwolves have to decide what deal is best, as Andrew Wiggins is now signed and that means the clock is ticking until he can be traded, while the Bulls are in the same boat with Doug McDermott and there's a chance teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, LA Lakers or NY Knicks try and jump in to get the deal.
According to ESPN.com, the Timberwolves like Wiggins and the Cavaliers deal over Chicago and their package, but Marc Stein writes that the top target for Flip Saunders is still Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors. GS is not willing to put in Thompson and now that Andrew Wiggins has signed his rookie deal, it will be a long and nervous wait for Cleveland until the end of August to get a deal done.
Chicago is still a major threat and with a month to go without a trade, there is also a chance that another team swoops in to get a deal done. Earlier in the offseason teams like the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and LA Lakers were interested in the deal and mentioned as potential destinations, but now that most of those teams have made other moves, some likely are out of the running for a Love deal.
Wiggins signed with Cleveland officially on Thursday and that means he can't be traded for a month, but sources report that will not hinder the deal or negotiating. The Cavaliers first did not put Wiggins in their initial deal, instead offering Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters with a first round pick next year, but that wasn't enough for Minnesota. Now the team is playing Chicago and Cleveland off each other and so far it's working, but many think the real target is the Golden State Warriors and Thompson. Reports say that Flip Saunders likes Thompson the best of any of the targets, but the Golden State Warriors are not willing to trade him yet and possibly won't at all.
Kevin Love is the top trade chip on the market and he has been in that position since before the deadline last year and if he somehow makes it to free agency, he will be the center of ravenous attention. The Wolves don't actually want to trade Love, but they really don't have much of a choice. Love has been one of the best young players in the game and he is coming off of a season where he averaged over 25 points and 12 rebounds per game and now he has the chance to be a major trade chip. Love is the major target on the market and now the central division is battling to get him.
Team owner Glen Taylor said he expected Love to be in training camp, but at this time that doesn't look likely. Love has said he wants to be in the playoffs after missing out in his first six seasons and he also said that he plans on testing the market if he gets the chance and that means no more extensions in Minnesota next summer if it gets that far.
