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Entering the off-season, the Golden State Warriors were the favorites to land Kevin Love, but a deal never materialized. After LeBron James chose to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat and sign with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, then the Cavs quickly became the front-runners to land Love. Now, the Chicago Bulls have taken the lead in this chase after making a serious offer this afternoon.
The Bulls missed out on Carmelo Anthony, who seriously considered Chicago up until he made his decision. Defensively, the Bulls are strong, but they need another scoring option to compliment Derrick Rose. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, the Bulls are attempting to pair up Rose with Love:
According to a Timberwolves source, the Bulls made a “significant offer’’ Wednesday morning for the three-time All-Star, and it was an offer that was considered to be the latest leader in the clubhouse.
The source said that the two headlining names in the package were Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott, “as well as a few other assets.’’
The Timberwolves have stated they want assets that can contribute and compete right away, so a deal centered around Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott could be enticing for Minnesota. Gibson is quickly one of the better big men in the NBA and McDermott was impressive at the NBA Summer League, he looks like a player who is ready to contribute immediately. To replace Love with Gibson and add McDermott on top of that, this is something the Timberwolves must be seriously considering.
The Warriors and Cavs have some catching up to do if they plan on making another bid for Love. In order to top Chicago’s offer, the Warriors would have to include Thompson in the deal, which seems unlikely to happen, so the best option at this point is to move on and figure out what to do with David Lee. The Cavs have been making some moves to prepare a package for Minnesota, but will it be better than Gibson and McDermott? The Timberwolves know they are working against the clock, so a deal could be coming sooner rather than later.