The ‘IF Kevin Love is Traded, For Who?’ Piece
Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (32) reacts after being called for a foul against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Another trade right off of ESPN’s Kevin Love Trade piece is this one with the Warriors. The Warriors have been interesting in Love since the off-season. Their unwillingness to give up Klay Thompson closed the door on them getting him but that door might be cracked open just a bit. First what ESPN had to say:
"Why the Cavs would do it: Green might be the front-runner for defensive player of the year and can guard multiple positions. The Cavs currently rank among the bottom five in the NBA in defensive efficiency and lack the energy to dig themselves out of it internally. As a glue guy hungry to win, Green would be an ideal fit next to James and Irving. Lee makes the contracts work and gives them another offensive cog to come off the bench or start. Why the Warriors would do it: Because they want to have their cake and eat it, too. The Warriors courted Love this summer, but when Klay Thompson was the asking price, they balked. What if they could get Love and Thompson on the same team without giving up Stephen Curry? The question becomes whether they’re willing to risk disrupting the locker room and pushing all of their chips toward Andrew Bogut‘s knee. One thing’s for sure: They can’t afford to pay Green, Andre Iguodala, Lee and Bogut all eight figures annually. Dumping Lee’s salary and getting a top-10 talent in Love back? Terrifying."
ESPN hits on all the right aspects. Draymond Green is a glue piece but is not good enough that they would hold on to him instead of trading for Love. That is especially true as Green is up for free agency this year, restricted. For the Warriors Love gives them even more shooting and, with Andrew Bogut getting healthy, they won’t be as hurt by Love’s defensive limitations. Because of Green’s low salary they get to include David Lee’s contract that has another season on it.
For the Cavaliers they get an interesting player in Green, who is averaging 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game along with the energy of David Lee coming off the bench. The Cavs would likely seek some sort of draft consideration but given how the Warriors dealt with the Love availability this off-season they would likely rebuff the offers. The Cavs could try to get Harrison Barnes as well in the deal, adding Mike Miller to make salaries work. Green and Lee may not seem like a great haul for a player of Love’s caliber but that is because it isn’t possible to put a number value to “fit.” Green is able to fit with the Warriors, and would with the Cavs, in a value that is much more than his numbers. Green’s 3 point shooting, 33%, is just barely worse than Love’s so far this season.
Thoughts: This is a trade that is very interesting and hard to analyze. Green has been an important part of the Warriors team but seems like a player destined to get overpaid, some have said they think he is a max type player even. Getting Barnes would make the deal more palatable but also less likely for the Warriors to pull the trigger. Thinking of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Love all on the floor at the same time has to scare defenses. Andrew Bogut and Andrew Iguodala would provide the defensive compliment that could make the team scary. A trade that seems okay but not great.
Next: Final Trade Partner: LA Lakers