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What If Cavs Hadn’t Traded Andrew Wiggins For Kevin Love?

By Mark Vandeusen

Dec 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts beside Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts beside Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Last week, the news broke that Kevin Love will elect to become a free agent, rather than pick up his $16.7 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers for 2015-16. Opinions vary on whether or not Love will choose to sign a new contract with the Cavs.

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Back in February, ESPN’s Chris Broussard said:

"“Almost all the [NBA] executives I’ve spoken with believe he’s out of Cleveland at the end of the year. It’s amazing how many people around the league think he is gone.”"

That was long before the Cavs made their impressive run to the NBA Finals without Love.

After the emergence of Tristan Thompson in the playoffs, it isn’t even clear how eager LeBron James is to have Love return to Cleveland:

On Sunday, Sam Amico of Fox Sports reported that Love “indicated to Cavs recently he plans to return.”  One thing Cleveland has in its favor is that it can pay Love significantly more money than any other team:

If Love decides to join the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets (all rumored to be in pursuit of his services) or any other NBA squad, it will clearly make last summer’s Andrew Wiggins trade a complete bust for the Cavaliers.  But even if Love stays in Cleveland, dealing Wiggins for him is likely a move Cavs general manager David Griffin wishes he could have back.

Where would Cleveland be right now if it’d never swapped Wiggins for Love?

During the regular season, Love averaged 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 75 games for the Cavs. On his way to winning Rookie of the Year honors, Wiggins posted 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while taking the floor in all 82 contests for the Timberwolves.

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An injury in the first round took Love out of the playoffs, but in his absence Thompson excelled in the starting lineup.  If the Cavs had Wiggins instead of Love, how might their season have gone?  It stands to reason Cleveland would’ve still reached the NBA Finals. Love may or may not have accounted for a few more regular season wins than Wiggins, but the Cavs likely still could’ve rolled through the weak Eastern Conference in the postseason.

Might Cleveland have won the title this year with Wiggins? My guess is the Golden State Warriors still would’ve emerged victorious, but the Cavs obviously could’ve used another set of fresh young legs as their seven-man rotation repeatedly wore down in the fourth quarter of each Finals game.

Either way, it’s hard to argue Cleveland’s 2014-15 season was any more of a success with Love than it might’ve been with Wiggins — and what about going forward?

A former No. 1 option with the Timberwolves, Love is primarily a rebounder and corner three-point shooter used to spread the floor for the Cavs. Alongside, Thompson, Timofey Mozgov and possibly a healthy Anderson Varejao, his role is unclear. On the other hand, Wiggins would fit right in alongside Kyrie Irving in the backcourt.

For 2015-16, doesn’t a Cavs starting lineup of Irving, Wiggins, James, Thompson and Mozgov appear more formidable than Irving, Iman Shumpert (or some other shooting guard), James, Love and either Thompson or Mozgov?  And that’s without factoring in Wiggins’ rookie contract, which averages out to under $6.5 million per year for the next three seasons. Even if the talent levels are equal, the enormous salary difference makes Wiggins the much more appealing option.

If Cleveland doesn’t win a championship in the immediate future, Cavs fans will bemoan the loss of Wiggins for years to come–if they aren’t already.

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