As we’ve already seen during this insane NBA off-season, anything and anyone is in play for a blockbuster trade. MetroBet was the first to touch on the likelihood that Russell Westbrook could be traded back in May, and now the most tradeable big-name player in the league is Cavaliers forward Kevin Love.
The problem here is that most of the teams that would typically look to trade for Love are already tied up with big contracts and seem content to roll into the 2019-20 season with what they have.
LeBron James would love to have Love on the Lakers, but LA has already traded away all of its assets in the Anthony Davis deal.
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The Celtics, meanwhile, have always been a team to watch when it comes to a trade for Love as Danny Ainge has always been a fan. But with the way Boston’s current roster is assembled, there doesn’t seem to be a fit here. On money alone, the Celtics would need to give up Gordon Hayward or Jaylen Brown in a trade for Love. While Love is now considered a slightly better player than both Hayward and Brown, that could change in a hurry. Hayward is about to enter his second season following that catastrophic injury and he is expected to at least resemble the All-Star that we saw in Utah in 2019-20. And the upside for Brown is still off the charts.
Love will be 31-years-old when the 2019-20 season starts, and it would make little sense for Ainge to roll the dice on an older player that might not even be an upgrade.
Other teams that will likely be in contact with Cavs GM Koby Altman when (if) he puts Love on the trade market are the Heat and Mavericks. Both teams are one big piece away from contention and will be highly active in trade circles in the months leading up to the February trade deadline.
