The NBA trade rumors mill had curious trades that involved the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers with the LA Lakers being dragged into the mix.
The trade centers on Nerlens Noel being shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Initially, the trade involved just the Sixers and Cavs as mentioned in Sports Illustrated team blog The Sixer Sense.
"The Cleveland Cavaliers have a rather urgent need at center right now. Tristan Thompson and Chris Andersen are the Cavaliers current two options. While Love was a contributor to the Cavaliers success in their 2016 NBA Championship, he has yet to win over the team's affection. Stories abound with his 'misfit' with the current roster, and his defense stood out as a weakness," Bret Stuter of TSS wrote.
For one thing, Kevin Love seems too high a price to pay for Nerlens Noel who can't even bring back the no.3 overall pick from Boston (the offer was Okafor or Noel for the 3rd pick), so Love is rather a long shot. But the positional need is accurate-the Cavs need a center.
Thus, the Lakers were dragged in. The Lakers are suitors for Kevin Love (but they have also been linked to every other star) and they were also linked with Noel in a previous report as it was proposed that Brandon Ingram be traded for Noel along with the Lakers getting back their 2017 draft pick (no more top 3 restriction).
It should be noted that other sites which picked up the story had it the other way around: Brandon Ingram and the Lakers surrendering their top three protection for the 2017 pick for Noel-that would be crazy.
Thus, the connections were made which would send Noel to the Cavs, Ingram to the Sixers and Love to the Lakers. The Cavs would also get the Lakers 2017 pick (still top three protected).
These were all on the rumor mill but no inside source has confirmed any such talks taking place, but for argument's sake, should the Lakers agree to such a deal?
Ingram has potential but Love is already a star. While he may have regressed with the Cavs, many believe he is still capable of 20-10 performances if he is the first option (which he would be with the Lakers).
Would Love's presence make the Lakers a playoff team? That remains a question. There are some who predict the Lakers can make 8th place and some, like ESPN has them dead last in the West. Love's presence can be a factor in 2017 free agency, though.
Ingram is a good prospect but if this trade possibility actually did materialize, the Lakers should get a star like Love.