Dallas Mavericks: Pass or pursue on 3 rumored trade deadline targets
By Dalton Sell
Should the Dallas Mavericks pass on or pursue rumored trade target Kevin Love?
Adding a solidified third star next to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis has been a hot topic of discussion for the Dallas Mavericks, and it appears they are eyeing a former NBA champion to fill that vacancy.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes that Dallas has an interest in acquiring five-time All-Star Kevin Love because they believe he can cross several issues off their wishlist:
"“A source with knowledge of the Mavericks’ thinking suggested Kevin Love as a much better fit given the team’s 3-point woes and desire to surround MVP candidate Luka Doncic with shooters. Love would also help boost Dallas’ problematic defensive rebounding metrics.”"
Love could certainly provide a boost for Dallas in those areas, but the only problem is that he is having yet another injury-plagued campaign. The 32-year-old has appeared in just four games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 5.8 points on .318/.333/.714 shooting splits, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. While a healthy Kevin Love is more than capable of putting up top-tier numbers, he has not been able to showcase that he can stay on the floor consistently over the past few years.
Would Love’s health be worth gambling on, considering he has an average annual salary of $30.5 million between this season and the following two? No. It would be a sizeable risk for Dallas to take, and there is just too much uncertainty surrounding Love right now to absorb that much money long-term.