The Minnesota Timberwolves have targeted Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young as a trade option to help replace Kevin Love if the Wolves trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they see the forward as a solid option to take over if the superstar is moved and this comes as Young was a major target last season and if he is not traded, numerous teams will be interested in trading for him at the deadline this year.
According to ESPN.com, the Wolves are looking at Young as the top option to replace Love if he gets traded, as he is under team control for multiple years and can play well on both ends of the floor. While Young is obviously not the player that Love is, he is a strong rebounder and can play well on the offensive side of things and that could give the Wolves a player to at least hold things over if they lose Love.
The Cavaliers and Timberwolves have been talking a trade for some time and now things are moving into August and close to when a deal can actually go down. The Cavaliers signed Andrew Wiggins and that means he cannot be traded for 30 days and in the meantime, both sides are trying to get in position to make the deal work. The Wolves want to get rid of salary and they want to deal JJ Barea and Kevin Martin, but since the Cavaliers have some cap issues, a third team may need to get involved or other moves have to be made.
The Cavaliers have already made a trade with the Utah Jazz to get some players with non-guaranteed contracts on the books and they now can use those players in a deal with the Wolves. The Cavs could look at the Sixers as a third team option and Pro Basketball Talk reported that they could be interested in dealing and now that Young is in the mix, it could work out even better for all sides. Young has two years left on his deal at $19.3 million and that is not too expensive and if the Sixers can snag a pick or a solid young player from the deal, it could be worth it to pull off for Sam Hinkie.
The Sixers clearly are in rebuilding mode and they have Joel Embiid as the number three overall pick in the draft from this year, but there is a chance he will not play after injuring his foot. Love is the top trade target on the market and if he somehow makes it to the free agent market next summer, teams will be going crazy to try and sign him. The Wolves are trying to get the most they can for Love and now they are looking at Young as a consolation if they deal him.
The Golden State Warriors also were in the mix for a deal with Love, but the team does not want to give up Klay Thompson and that was the biggest issue involved in that deal. The Wolves reportedly want Thompson the most out of anyone they are targeting, but since the Warriors are not willing to deal him, the team likely will take the Cavs offer with Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins.
