Another flurry of Kevin Love trade rumors involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves swirled last week, and reports surfaced that the Cavs had reconsidered whether they would include 2014 first overall pick Andrew Wiggins in any deal.
Andrew Wiggins currently isn’t a trade chip in Cavs’ offer to land Kevin Love
Though the Cleveland Cavaliers may have rekindled talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding Kevin Love, it would seem that first overall pick Andrew Wiggins isn’t on the table at present.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
But according to The Morning Journal's Bob Finnan and also CSN Northwest's Chris Haynes, Wiggins hasn't been offered in a trade. Both report that news with a caveat. With LeBron James reportedly wanting Love to join him in Cleveland, the Cavs continue to keep an open phone line to Minnesota and could always add to their offer down the road.
Why this makes sense
The T-Wolves are playing their own sort of waiting game regarding Love. They have until the February trade deadline to ship him off and receive something in return, so nothing is super pressing at the moment. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst adds that Cleveland will sign Wiggins this week and by league rule make him unavailable in a trade for a month. There’s no reason for the Cavs to make a panic trade at this point, either.
Summer of Love
So far, teams haven't been pressured to offer anything extremely appealing to the Timberwolves. The bidding war hasn't begun, and as time goes on it'll be Minnesota that feels the heat to trade Love, who becomes a free agent after the 2014-15 season. Until the Golden State Warriors offer Klay Thompson, or another team steps up and threatens to take Love, the Cavaliers have every reason to play hardball by not including their rookie in a trade package.
Additionally, the Cavs have to like the James-Wiggins pairing for developmental purposes. Long-term, it makes a lot of sense.
Why the Cavs could eventually change their minds
If it’s true that James has reached out to Love about playing together in Cleveland, as Yahoo! Sports reported, then it’s possible the Cavs eventually submit to the T-Wolves’ terms. James’ two-year contract with an opt-out after this season certainly makes things interesting, and waiting for Wiggins to develop might not align with what Cleveland has to do to make James happy.
If, for example, the Warriors put Thompson in a trade offer, the Cavs will need to think about sweetening their deal. It’ll come down to how badly each team wants Love. Once the bidding war begins, it is arguable the Cavaliers have the most to lose by not acquiring Love. They face what’s sure to be a heavily scrutinized “what-if” scenario if the James-Love pairing doesn’t happen.
What is the likelihood?
Give the Cavs a 3 out of 10 shot of adding Wiggins to a Love deal. While there’s a very valid argument for the Cavs to hang on to Wiggins, as SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell writes, it’s possible Cleveland does what the King wants. As of now, there are currently no signs of a better offer on the table. Perhaps both parties refuse to reconsider their current stances, and Minnesota takes another deal or the more risky approach of not trading Love at all.
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