New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (L) and Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love. (Photo : Reuters)
The Kevin Love trade rumors erupted for Kevin Love when his team performed better without him.
The hope is that his performance in Game 7, which helped them win the coveted and historic first NBA championship for Cleveland is enough to dispel any talk.
Not even the euphoria could stop Chad Ford of ESPN Insider from reiterating that Love would be traded. Love figures prominently in his feature, "NBA draft trades that make sense." He explains that these are not deals in actual trade talks. But in each case, the teams involved have been rumored to be talking about various scenarios.
In his scenario, Carmelo Anthony would go to Cleveland and join LeBron, a rare situation where he would waive his no-trade clause.
Kevin Love would make a return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who find themselves looking for veterans. The T-Wolves will then send a package of the no.5 pick, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic to the Knicks, and Tyus Jones to the Cavs.
For the Cavs, Carmelo is the same age as LeBron, and he is a player that James has "coveted for a while, would give the Cavs another strong scoring option that plays with more versatility than Love."
The Knicks would need younger players to rebuild, and they could have a good piece at no.5, possibly a point guard that they need like Kris Dunn or Jamal Murray. Shabazz Muhammad could develop into a scoring wingman similar to Melo, but he would not be the focal point of the offense (that should be Porzingis).
The questionable part of this proposal is what the Knicks would do with two additional centers, particularly Pekovic. Anthony mentioned to the Daily Knicks that the team is set in the frontcourt with him, Robin Lopez and Porzingis. If he leaves, the task is to replace him with a stretch four, not another center.
For Minnesota, Ford argued that with the have two young studs in place, "Love looks like a terrific fit in between Wiggins and Towns." Both Towns and Wiggins are good defenders, so Love's deficiency in that area can be covered.
The new look Wolves would feature Love in a bigger role than what he played in Cleveland, but he won't be the focal point just like in the Minnesota teams he played in before. Those teams failed to reach the playoffs, but with Towns and Wiggins developing into All-Stars, that would definitely change.
