Kevin Love could be traded in the offseason as the Cleveland Cavaliers won big without him.
From that one game, speculation would snowball, but this is obviously not the first time Love has been part of trade talk as he was almost actually swapped during the season.
In an article from Tom Ziller of SB Nation, the reasons for trading Love are two-fold. One is that Love is paid as a primary player, but he may be asked to take a smaller role.
"Paying through the nose for a power forward who can't regularly play center or small forward -- that'd be Love -- doesn't make much sense. Even if James only plays heavy minutes at power forward in the playoffs against certain teams, there's probably a much better way to use the resources going to pay Love," Ziller wrote.
The other reason is that there are better options. Even if a player is not a good fit, if no one is interested in taking him, or no offers arise, it would be a moot point.
Love still has trade value in the league as observers note that his regression is borne out of his role with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the presence of LeBron James. However, if he continues to downslide for another season, teams may believe it's another issue.
The Denver Nuggets could be the league's sleeper team. While everyone is awed at the Boston Celtics war chest of assets, the Denver's first round pack of 7th, 15th and 19th is solid. They could use the latter two to break in the lottery range.
There is still a lot confirmed interest in Love at the Mile High City as Chris Dempsey opined in The Denver Post.
"The value of Love to the Nuggets, a team in search of a true star, remains immense. He checks off the alpha dog box that remains unchecked right now. The Nuggets have made big strides this season. With no changes at all, they should be expected to make a playoff run next season. A Nuggets team with Love would make the playoffs next year," Dempsey predicted.
As Ziller points out, the Nuggets can offer players at any position. The Cavs may shy off Emmanuel Mudiay because of Kyrie and All-rookie team center Nikola Jokic is likely off the table. But other bigs (Jusuf Nurkic, Joffrey Lauvergne) veteran forwards (Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler), even scoring guards (Will Barton, Gary Harris) would form the best trade package in the West.
Gallinari, Chandler and pick no.15 for Kevin Love would be fair deal for the Cavs. Both wings can play alongside power forward LeBron as cheaper alternatives for Love. The pick would be a bonus for the Cavs.
This package is hard to rival and unless any Western powers would offer a superstar (ex. Blake Griffin) for Love, it could be the best combo for LeBron in company at least in their conference.