This week marks the two year anniversary of the controversial Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins trade. It’s fitting to look back at this awkward interview.
The Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins trade was completed two years ago Tuesday.
Cavs’ fans were divided whether they should trade Love for Wiggins after LeBron James announced his return to Cleveland.
While some may still question the trade, there is no denying that it has worked out for both teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves were not going to be able to re-sign Love. They instead turned him over for the number one overall pick. The Cavs, on the other hand, did not have to wait for Wiggins to develop as a player. They instead got one of the premier power forwards in the game that helped them win a championship.
Related Story: Grading The Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins Trade
While we could argue if the Cavs would be better if they had Wiggins, there is no arguing with the results. Love came up big time and time again in the playoffs. While he had a disappointing Finals, he still made one of the biggest plays of the entire series when he locked down the first unanimous MVP in league history.
Good afternoon.
— SN Ohio (@SN_Ohio) July 17, 2016
Here's Kevin Love completely shutting down MVP, Steph Curry.
Carry on. https://t.co/7DYTQPGUc1
Then there’s this clip of LeBron throwing some salt in the wound.
Now that two years have passed, it is easy to forget how awkward it was for Wiggins when LeBron decided to come home. It’s rare that a number one overall pick would feel unwanted before he even played a regular season game. James made it a point to mention his new teammates in his letter with Sports Illustrated, but he did not mention Wiggins. Many took this as a sign that Wiggins was not going to be a Cavalier for long.
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The Wiggins trade was completed over a month after LeBron announced his return. In the meantime most believed that the number one pick was being sent to the Timberwolves, but nothing was official. That meant Wiggins was forced to participate in the Summer League and photoshoots with the Cavaliers even though he knew he probably wasn’t going to a play a game with Cleveland.
Because Wiggins knew he was not going to be a part of the future with the Cavaliers, it made interviews like this one very awkward. It’s easy to feel bad for Wiggins in this situation.
This interview with SportsCenter shows just how confusing of a time this was for Wiggins. You have to give Wiggins credit for trying to have a positive outlook in such a frustrating situation.
It’s easy to see how this situation could frustrate Wiggins. Since the trade, he has gone out of his way to prove to the Cavs that they made a mistake in trading him. He always plays his best when he goes up against the team that drafted him.
Thankfully for Wiggins he is in a good situation in Minnesota. Along with Karl Anthony-Towns, the Timberwolves are poised to be a playoff contender for years down the line. Cavs’ fans are left to wonder what might have happened if Wiggins stayed in Cleveland.
Related Story: Trading Andrew Wiggins For Kevin Love A Poor Decision By Cavs
If you would like to contact Jackson Flickinger, you can follow and tweet him @Akron_Jackson and follow @KJG_NBA.