The Minnesota Timberwolves have pulled off the Kevin Love trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and it's possible that a Ricky Rubio trade could follow in the future after the team acquires Andrew Wiggins, as they have a young prospect in Zach LaVine from the draft this year and that could come near the deadline if the Wolves trade Anthony Bennett for Thaddeus Young with the 76ers.
According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers and the Wolves have agreed on a trade for Kevin Love and the deal includes Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins and a first round pick in the future. The two sides had been hammering out the deal for a while and the Cavs won out over the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. The Wolves are also looking to offload JJ Barea and Kevin Martin and the team may look at a Bennett deal to the 76ers for Thaddeus Young and all that could come ahead of a Rubio trade eventually, as he is asking for a five year max deal next year.
A Rubio trade is unlikely, but right now all options are on the table for the Timberwolves and they feel like they got a steal in Andrew Wiggins, as they were losing Love no matter what and now have turned him into a first overall pick. The Nuggets did not get a package like that for Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard's deal did not net the Magic anyone that talented and that is why Flip Saunders demanded Wiggins be in the deal if the Cavaliers wanted Love. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Rubio may ask for a five year max extension and while he is a very good young player, the team may not want to dole out all that money for someone who averaged less than 10 points per game last season.
The Timberwolves have a backup option with Zach LaVine, who they drafted out of UCLA in the first round and could be the future starter, as he is just 19 years old. LaVine was impressive off the bench for the Bruins while averaging 9.4 points per game and shooting over 36 percent from long range and his upside is vast and many scouts raved about him coming into the draft this year.
The Timberwolves have been talking a Kevin Love deal for quite some time and now the deal looks all but official, as the two sides cannot trade until August 23. Wiggins signed his rookie deal and that means he can't be traded for 30 days and that appears to be the only holdup. The Wolves felt they had no other option but to make a deal for Love this summer, as his asking price for teams would go down during the season and he made it clear he wanted to test the free agent market.
The Timberwolves now have a young core of players to build around and while losing Love is very tough, the team will have to find a way to make up for it. Trading for Thaddeus Young is a solid option and while he is not as good as Kevin Love, he is athletic and solid on both ends of the floor. Wiggins likely will be a good NBA player and he plays excellent defense and is developing his offensive game.
