NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 28: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers say they want to keep Kevin Love.
Following the John Beilein debacle, star center Kevin Love’s Cleveland Cavaliers might need to hit the reset button once again. They were the worst team in the NBA’s Central Division and might need to sell off veteran players for spare parts in order to get back to the playoffs. However, it sounds like Cleveland wants to keep a veteran who might be able to net a good chunk of change in a potential trade.
Cleveland.com is reporting that the Cavaliers want to hold on to Love, refusing to jettison him in a “salary dump.”
The Cavaliers might stink, but Kevin Love was one of the few bright spots in 2019-20.
After making three All-Star teams with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love was traded to the Cavaliers in 2014 as a part of the deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to Minneapolis. As the tertiary gunner on the LeBron James-led team that brought the Cavs their first championship, Love has made the All-Star game twice as a Cavalier, averaging 17.2 points and 10.0 rebounds in six seasons.
He put up 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds last year, but it mattered little, as the lack of depth prevented Cleveland from even making it to Orlando for the restart.
The Cavs have a promising young backcourt led by Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, but they went through some serious growing pains last season. There is some value in having a battle-scarred veteran like Love on the court with them given his rebounding and shooting abilities.
His age might be a deterrent for some trade partners, so hanging on to the former UCLA star and watching him go for 17 and 10 every night isn’t the worst option in the world.
The Cavaliers are going nowhere fast with or without Love, so trading him for picks and/or bad contracts might be the best move with regards to the long-term health of the franchise. However, keeping him certainly has some advantages, as he is an experienced scorer that can help a young Cleveland team get acclimated to life in the NBA.