The Cleveland Cavaliers are automatically the favorite to land a trade for Kevin Love since the team has the No. 1 overall draft pick. The Minnesota Timberwolves would love to have that pick plus a few young players to help rebuild their team with the loss of the forward. The Cavaliers only have a little bit longer to decide exactly how they intend on using that pick and early reports say the team will not be dealing it.
According to NBA beat writer Gery Woelfel, sources are saying the Cavaliers have no interest in unloading their No. 1 draft pick to the highest bidder. Woelfel reports that the Cavaliers are favoring drafting either Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid with that pick to pair with Kyrie Irving for the future and then chasing top free agents instead of a trade.
The Cavaliers could use that pick to pull off a trade for Love because without that in the offer, the Timberwolves will not strike a deal with Cleveland. Without that draft pick, nothing the Cavaliers offer is worth the time of Minnesota. The team was reportedly favoring adding in players like Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters, but without the pick, they are nothing compared to Love.
So if the Cavaliers appear to be pulling out of the Love sweepstakes, where do they look to improve this offseason. The team will first decide between Wiggins, Embiid and Jabari Parker. According to ESPN.com, Embiid is the better of the three draft picks despite his recent back injury issues. If his health clears out during his team visit, the center will likely be the top pick to Cleveland. However, if the Cavaliers fear the injury will present problems, then Wiggins is the best option.
The next move will be to try and convince Kyrie Irving to sign a max contract with the team. The point guard has the chance to be locked down for the long-term this summer or leave plenty of money on the table to become a free agent sooner and depart. If Irving denies the contract extension then he can expect to be traded and the Cavaliers will be at square one once again.
Owner Dan Gilbert also has every intention of chasing LeBron James to come back to Cleveland. The chances James re-signs with the Cavaliers appears very slim. They simply lack the winning assets to get a championship and for a player in the prime of his career, that is the top priority.
