The Kevin Love era could have run its course during his one season in Cleveland according to several top NBA executives who believe Love will begin next season in another uniform.
Amid plans that they will re-sign Love to a longterm deal, brass from other NBA clubs believe the Cavs will move Love for assets, and complimentary role players.
Per Grantland:
Griffin has repeatedly said the Cavs plan to keep Love, but plugged-in executives around the league continue to predict the Cavs will sign-and-trade Love after advancing so far without him. That would unclutter the power forward spot, and if the Cavs can recoup rotation players and picks, they’d have to at least consider it. Love needs the ball to live up to a max contract, and even Griffin has told me that watching LeBron carry a misfit cast within two wins of the title taught him a lot about the kind of supporting cast he wants around his centerpiece.
“LeBron needs to have the ball so much for you to be as good as you can be, and you need to be very selective about the guys who get to have it when he doesn’t,” Griffin said. “You cannot have too much ball dominance around him.”
But here’s the thing: If I had to choose between Love and Thompson, I’d pick Love and work the sign-and-trade market for Thompson this summer — a path that may be closed off to Griffin, given that Thompson and LeBron have the same agent.
It’s hard not to totally agree with the sentiments of those execs. Thompson is a rebounding machine, a glass-cleaner who’ll compliment James and Mozgov efficiently next season.
Moving Love would allow the Cavs to get better on the wing, signing a playmaker or shooter, who can get their own.