Cleveland Cavaliers: Constructing the dream offseason

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Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images /

The Cleveland Cavaliers trade Kevin Love to the Sacramento Kings

Kevin Love has the pedigree of an All-NBA player and a former champion, but he is also signed to an enormous contract while struggling to overcome frequent injuries. There are very few teams leaguewide willing to even entertain the idea of trading for the big man.

Thankfully for the Cavaliers it only takes two to tango, and a few teams with some financial flexibility could see Love as a solid veteran piece to goose their offense and rise up the standings. For the Sacramento Kings, giving up a contract of their own that they don’t want could be the grease needed to make a deal happen.

The Kings haven’t made the playoffs for 15 years, tying the longest such stretch in NBA history. With a weak free agent class, and no superstar players likely to greenlight a trade to Sacramento, the Kings get creative in finding a way forward and swing for the fences.

Here the Kings bring in Kevin Love to play at center and space the floor for De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. They will lean into the approach of putting together a high-powered offense and chase the playoffs. For most teams chasing a low playoff seed would be a mistake, but it’s understandable for this franchise that needs to change the narrative somehow.

The Kings move on from Buddy Hield, who is under contract for a season longer than Love. Thankfully for Cleveland that salary declines, so it is much more mobile than Love’s contract. Hield was not very good this past season but he can absolutely shoot the ball, and can be a bench gunner for the Cavaliers until they flip him elsewhere.

Delon Wright makes the salaries work but gives the Cavaliers a three-headed rotation of combo guards who can all play off of each other. Playing him in bench lineups with Hield helps each cover each other’s weaknesses. Wright is already 29 but only signed for one more season. The Cavaliers’ salary is roughly the same for next season, but they will clear nearly $8 million the following season.