The Los Angeles Clippers could be ready to trade Blake Griffin in the offseason, despite the team's vow to keep their core roster intact.
The Clips may not rely entirely rely in free agency to make improvements in their lineup despite earning a chance to pitch top free agent Kevin Durant this summer.
With limited cap space flexibility, the Clippers could look into trading one of their assets to bolster their roster for the next season. One of the possible trade scenario Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer explored for the Clippers is swapping Blake Griffin for Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love.
"Love played college basketball in L.A., and would give the Clippers a reliable 3-point shooter at the frontcourt position. For all his woes on the defensive end, he can be hidden on defense next to Jordan," Tjarks noted.
"While the spacing in Cleveland would be tighter with Blake and LeBron in the frontcourt, who cares? Playing those two at the 4 and 5 interchangeably would be utterly fascinating."
There is no real interests from both teams to swap their respective forwards, but such deal makes sense, considering the amount of trade rumors Griffin and Love have been linked to.
Griffin has been touted as the odd man out of Los Angeles after an incident with the team's equipment staff during the regular season, which also forced him to be sidelined for months due to a broken hand. While the Clippers and Doc Rivers have expressed commitment to keep hold of Griffin, trading him could be the team's best option to stay relevant in the title hunt, especially if the Clips fail to lure Durant.
On the other hand, Love has also been speculated to be on the trading block despite helping the Cavs win their first NBA title. Love has struggled to fit as third option behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and was hardly a factor in the Finals. With plenty of available veteran free agents in the market, the Cavs could consider trading Love to make room for key signings that could help in Cleveland's goal to repeat as world champions.
A Griffin for Love swap could help in both team's need. Love would be a scoring frontcourt weapon for the Clippers and can be maximized by Chris Paul's playmaking abilities.
Meanwhile, Griffin can be a force in the paint for the Cavs, who lack a scoring big man. The 27-year-old forward could start alongside James, forming an elite duo of two-way players rivals would have problems facing with.
It is undetermined whether the Clippers and Cavs are truly willing to part ways with their respective All-Star power forwards, much more an interest to swap them. But anything can happen in the craziness of the offseason.