Rumor: Kevin Love’s trade value too low to be centerpiece of blockbuster trade
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love doesn’t have the standalone trade value to be the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love won’t be the centerpiece of any blockbuster trade that upgrades the team’s roster. This isn’t because the Cavaliers feel like Love is an untouchable player on their roster, it’s because Love’s trade value is too low.
I can only tell you what I am told by teams when I mention him. The Cavs won't get value for Kevin Love. They could get different, but to think of Love as the centerpiece of an upgrade trade would be mistaken. https://t.co/W7GgliC95Q
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) May 27, 2018
While this news may or may not be surprising to people, it’s relevant. If Love doesn’t have the standalone trade value that would truly enhance the roster, that necessitates a trade of their first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The 8th overall pick.
Frankly, this is the pick that’s been the Cavaliers most tradable asset all season and was acquired with the hopes of it being a top-five selection.
However, the Cavaliers have three offseason needs:
1. To re-sign LeBron James.
2. To prepare for life without James whether or not he re-signs.
3. A bonafide second option if James re-signs.
The 8th overall pick could solve all those of those needs without even having to be traded for an All-Star.
This is one of the most loaded draft classes in the last 15 seasons and while the top of the draft’s big board is full of big men, there are players at every position who can be game-changers for the franchise and will be available with the 8th overall pick.
Here are just a few of the players with the talent and hype necessary to lure James back to Cleveland, be the face of the franchise and be a second option on a championship contender. Players that should be available in the 5-10 range:
Michael Porter Jr., power forward (22.6 points and 15.1 rebounds per 40 minutes in 2017-2018, missed 30 games due to injury)
Trae Young, point guard (27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game in 2017-2018, NCAA-highs)
Mikal Bridges, shooting guard (17.7 points per game in 2017-2018, two-time NCAA champion)
If you can draft one of those players and trade Love as the centerpiece for a blockbuster trade, you do it.
While trading the pick for an All-Star and forming a Big Three with James and Love seems like the simple solution, keeping the pick is the only way the Cavs will be able to use the selection as a safety net in case James opts to leave. If they trade the pick, their next chance at a top-five talent in the draft won’t come until Love is traded or his contract expires. When that day comes, who’s to say that the draft class will be a strong one?
Furthermore, while Love is an All-Star, it simply seems like it’s time for a change. When the Cavs need him most he’s nowhere to be found or underachieving:
The 2015 NBA Playoffs (played 4 total games)
The 2016 NBA Finals (averaged 8.5 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting from the field)
The 2017 NBA Finals (shot 38.8 percent from the field)
The 2018 Eastern Conference Finals (averaging 12.5 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting from the field and will miss Game 7)
Bad luck is bad luck but maybe the basketball gods, or Basketball Reference, are trying to tell us something.
Unfortunately, trading Love for an All-Star won’t be possible without adding the 8th overall pick to a trade that will need to involve Love.
That is, unless the Cavaliers find a way to swap the 8th pick for a mid first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft in such a trade.
With Love’s trade value low, the Cavaliers will be placed between a rock and a hard place as they look to upgrade the roster to an optimal level. However, it’s still possible.
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