Cleveland Cavaliers: Reviewing the infamous 2014 Kevin Love trade

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CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a league-altering trade for Kevin Love back in 2014; now, let’s take a quick look back at how it panned out.

Back in 2014, after weeks of speculation (and the Cavs saying they wouldn’t trade Andrew Wiggins), the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Andrew Wiggins and former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett for Kevin Love.

The Timberwolves also received Thaddeus Young and 6.3 million dollar trade exception. The 76ers received Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Alexey Shved and a 2015 first-round pick. This trade shifted the entire dynamic of the league, putting three MVP-caliber players all in Cleveland.

This trade bolstered the championship expectation in Cleveland and added the potential future-cornerstone of Minnesota’s long-struggling rebuild. It also provided Philadelphia with another first-round pick and a pair of expiring contracts.

At the time, this trade seemed like a win all around. Philly mingled a little bit and won their end of the deal, Cleveland looked for the win-now option and found it; meanwhile, the Wolves were able to plan for the future.

Almost half a decade later, does it still look like an all-around win? Would all three parties do the deal if we go back in time?

That said, ;et’s take a look back at how the trade worked out for the two main teams involved: