2014 NBA Draft: Kevin Love, Josh Smith Moving On Draft Day?
By Nathan Giese
What Is Love?
This topic has been beaten to death, but it’s obligatory at this point.
“Baby, don’t hurt me,” is the thought of every Minnesota Timberwolves fan right now. Most have accepted the fact that Kevin Love is on his way out of town, others are trying to deal with the loss of yet another All-Star looking to leave.
If there’s one thing we know right now, it’s that Love is on the trade market and teams have put in offers. That’s really all we know, though, as at least six teams have been linked to Love trade talks.
The Lakers, Warriors, Rockets, Bulls, Celtics and Nuggets have all been rumored to be in on the Love talks, with others probably lurking or just haven’t publicly surfaced yet. No deal has been good enough for Flip Saunders to pull the trigger just yet.
Golden State’s reported offer of Klay Thompson, David Lee and a pick were not enough for Love (mostly because the Warriors weren’t completely on board with giving up Thompson). That deal is now seen as dead in the water.
Boston was both been rumored has having the best trade offer and the worst trade offer, because that’s the kind of news you hear in the NBA offseason. Denver had a very weak trade offer (Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler and the 11th pick in the draft), the Bulls are still tinkering with their offer, but the last rumor was Taj Gibson, Tony Snell and their two first round picks for the draft.
Now, all we know right now is that Love is the center of trade talks. Surprisingly, he’ll get as much media attention as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony this offseason until he is dealt. Not a bad accomplishment for someone who many feel he’s not a top-tier talent.
The Wolves are looking for established players to bring in, but that’s just a bandaid on the wound. They’d be better off taking the Celtics reported offer of their two first round picks and a young player and just rebuild. Flip’s being stubborn and he has good reason.
He needs to find the right deal for his team. He hasn’t found it yet, but contending teams may be desperate enough to offer more on draft night than they are now.