The Cavaliers and Timberwolves have either agreed to a Kevin Love trade, or they’ve gone out of their way to convince everyone they have.
- Other potential trade partners believe Cleveland will land Love, to the point nobody else is bothering to negotiate with Minnesota.
- The Timberwolves told Love to sit out the World Cup, and Anthony Bennett – who shares an agent with Love – is also missing exhibition games.
- Minnesota is lining up Love replacements, like 76ers power forward Thaddeus Young.
- Details over whether even marginal players are included in the trade are getting reported with certainty.
- And Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor even said a trade was likely Aug. 23 or 24 – essentially as soon as the Cavaliers can trade No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins.
If it walks like a trade agreement and quacks like a trade agreement, it’s a trade agreement – especially when a credible reporter says it’s a duck.
Brian Windhorst on ESPN Radio:
The deal is done but not done. The teams have agreed, but they can’t say they have agreed and they can’t agree, because we’re in this weird moratorium period because you can’t trade Andrew Wiggins until the 23rd of this month.
So, between now and then – which is, what, 19 days – could some of that happen? Could a team come in with a trade that maybe Minnesota doesn’t see? Yes, it could happen. So therefore it is not done.
But essentially, before the papers have been signed, there is this handshake agreement that Kevin Love to the Cavs, Andrew Wiggins to the Timberwolves, and I believe Thaddeus Young will end up in Minnesota either as part of a separate deal or as part of a three-way deal. Possibly, Anthony Bennett, who’s on the Cavs right now could get re-routed to Philadelphia in part of a deal for Thaddeus Young. There will be draft picks involved.
But essentially what you need to know if you’re an NBA fan, Kevin Love is going to be on the Cavs barring anything unforeseen, and and Andrew Wiggins, No. 1 overall pick, is going to be on Minnesota.
The details of this agreement are murky.
Have the Timberwolves and Cavaliers agreed to make a trade as soon as Wiggins is eligible to be moved? Or have they agreed this framework would be satisfactory as long as nothing better comes up?
In other words, would Minnesota be reneging on its agreement if it backed out?
The distinction likely doesn’t matter. I can’t imagine the Timberwolves getting better return than a Wiggins-centered deal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Minnesota has committed to a trade but has the option to include a third team as long as Cleveland’s side of the deal remains unchanged. That gives the Timberwolves time to negotiate with Philadelphia over specifics, though it’s possible that part of the deal is also agreed upon.
Increasingly, it seems the biggest – and maybe only – reason this trade has not yet occurred is the restriction on trading Wiggins. Soon, that will end and Love will join LeBron James in Cleveland.
