Between now and next week’s NBA draft, you can expect to hear almost daily rumors regarding a possible trade of Timberwolves forward Kevin Love.
The latest report comes from the Boston Herald and it contradicts a previous report from ESPN’s Chad Ford, who said Tuesday the Wolves’ best option would be to trade Love to the Celtics for a package of current players Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk and a package of draft picks including this year’s No. 6 and 17 overall picks.
According to the Boston Herald, Boston’s offer isn’t nearly the best the Timberwolves have received – or expect to receive – for Love.
One source told the newspaper that Denver and Golden State have both made intriguing offers for Love, and that other teams are very much in the picture as well.
Denver’s offer is believed to include forward Kenneth Faried, swingman Wilson Chandler and a third player received as part of a potential three-team trade. The third player could be Orlando guard Arron Afflalo.
Report: Nuggets offer for Kevin Love includes Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler http://t.co/32VC9NhMct pic.twitter.com/Z7eYGZrkiR
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 19, 2014
Pro Basketball Talk outlines two possible reasons for the conflicting reports.
- It’s a negotiation. The idea is to get as much as you can for what you are giving up.
- Or it could be a sign of a disagreement in the front office about what the Wolves want for Love.
In the first scenario:
Minnesota team president Flip Saunders knows how to play that game in trading Kevin Love – and part of that is sending messages by leaking things to the media.
For example, first you leak something saying, “I haven’t seen anything better than what Boston is offering for Love” in hopes of getting other teams to up their bid. Then you leak that the Boston offer isn’t all that great, hoping Boston ups its bid.
Rant Sports believes if the Wolves trade Love to the Warriors, it could be a win-win for both sides. That deal would return Love to California and send him to a contending team, while the Wolves would acquire a player like Harrison Barnes and/or David Lee plus a draft pick in return.
That deal may hinge on Klay Thompson’s inclusion, but it’s hard to see the Warriors parting ways with one of the Splash Brothers.
Denver’s interest in Love appears to be new – at least publicly. The big question for the Nuggets is would they be able to re-sign Love beyond next season.
Denver could offer Minnesota the No. 11 overall pick and some interesting players including Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, J.J Hickson and Evan Fournier, to name a few.
https://twitter.com/BaxterHolmes/status/479313184000466944
No matter what happens, the final days leading up to the NBA Draft are sure to be filled with a lot of discussion on the future of Love.
