Kevin Love Reportedly Will Be Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers
The NBA trade that everyone has been waiting for since LeBron James announced he was returning to Cleveland might finally be happening, for real. According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, Kevin Love is headed to the Cavaliers in exchange for No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, last year's No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, and a future protected first-round pick. More details:
The Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement in principle to send All-Star forward Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Cleveland is making the deal with Minnesota with a firm agreement Love will opt out of his contract in 2015 and re-sign with the Cavaliers on a five-year, $120 million-plus contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The deal cannot be finalized until Aug. 23, because Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, cannot be traded until one month after the signing of his rookie contract. The two teams have agreed to the deal, but neither would have recourse if the other decided to pull out of the arrangement before it can be formally completed this month. No third team is involved in the Cavaliers-Timberwolves trade agreement.
The precise deal terms have been agreed upon for weeks, but the teams and Love plan to stay silent about the particulars until the trade is announced in 16 days, sources told Yahoo Sports.
What was previously only rumored to be a "handshake" agreement is now basically official — we just have to wait until later this month to see the transaction go through. With the addition of Love, a three-time NBA All-Star, the Cavs now have what is probably the scariest trio in the NBA: Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron. They'll be an instant favorite for the NBA title.
Meanwhile, Minnesota recoups about as good a haul as you could hope for when trading a player that they already knew wasn't going to commit longterm to a future with the Wolves. A young roster that includes Ricky Rubio, Wiggins, Zach LaVine and others could be a ton of fun to watch.
What's your tae on this blockbuster trade? Let us know in the comments section.
[via Yahoo! Sports]