The Golden State Warriors are one of the teams rumored to be in the hunt for power forward Kevin Love, but at this point the Minnesota Timberwolves have all the leverage. Love still has one year remaining in his contract, so the Wolves could hang on to the big man until the trade deadline in February, but with the NBA draft quickly approaching, the Wolves might be better served by dealing him now.
Steve Kerr would love to add a stretch four this off-season, which means David Lee could be leaving the Bay Area. The combination of Love and Steph Curry is very appealing and according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Warriors remain one of the favorites in the chase for Love:
I still make the Warriors the favorites in this derby, but don’t sleep on Cleveland if the Cavs indeed offer up the No..1 overall pick.
And don’t discount the chance that Flip will hold onto Love until later in the summer or until next February’s trade deadline, no matter how awkward that could make next season if Love pouts because he doesn’t want to be here.
I believe Flip is sincere when he says he won’t trade Love just to trade him.
The Celtics have also been rumored as a possible landing spot for the former UCLA Bruin and reports have surfaced today about the Celtics being the front runners in the Love sweepstakes. The Celtics hold two draft picks in this draft, the 6th and 17th selection, so they could offer both picks and some players on top of that.
The Warriors could make themselves the runaway favorite if they include shooting guard Klay Thompson, but they might not want to part with the rising young star. If the Warriors are able to acquire Love without losing Thompson, they could put themselves in serious championship contention. The Warriors need to fill some minor holes this off-season, but there is no question the acquisition of Love would make this summer an instant success.