The Kevin Love saga continues with yet another rumor and once again the Warriors are involved. The Warriors surprised everyone when they reportedly agreed to include Klay Thompson in a potential deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the rumor was quickly shot down and Thompson remained a Warrior. However, the Warriors remain the favorites to land the big man and this rumor could be a sign of things to come.
The Warriors might need some help from a third team to make this deal happen and it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers could be the missing piece. According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers would trade the 7th overall pick and receive Thompson in return:
The Lakers have been in discussions to acquire Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson for the seventh pick in next week’s draft, The Times has learned.
The deal would be part of a larger three-way trade that sends Minnesota All-Star power forward Kevin Love to the Warriors. The Lakers are interested but the deal has been put on hold because of a difference in opinion within the Warriors’ organization whether or not to keep Thompson while trying to obtain Love.
With the NBA Draft nearing, the rumors continue to swirl around the NBA. Love is the ultimate prize this off-season and a trade before the draft would be ideal for all parties, but the T-Wolves hold all the leverage and they ultimately have the final say in any proposed deal. Bresnahan’s report definitely got Laker fans excited, but the idea of Thompson with the division rival Lakers might be tough sight to see.
This morning, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reported that the Warriors have stated that they don’t want to part with Thompson under any cirmustances:
The first stumbling block: The Warriors are making it clear to everyone in the league, including Minnesota president Flip Saunders, that they very much do not want to part with Klay Thompson, the key part of any Minnesota demand.
This completely goes against what was being reported in the last couple of days, maybe the Warriors had a change of heart. Nonetheless, if the Warriors want to land Love this summer, they will have to lose some key pieces and the T-Wolves seem intent on receiving Thompson in any deal involving Love. Thompson’s own father, Mychal Thompson, made it public that his son was part of a proposed deal that would send him to Minnesota.
The days leading up to the draft will be very exciting. If Minnesota is not able to trade Love before the draft, it is likely they could hold him until the trade deadline in February.
Personally, I don’t think it is wise for Minnesota to trade Love to the Warriors, Suns, or any Western Conference team for that matter. Considering reports that the Wolves want assets in order to get them into the playoffs, would it not be counterproductive to send an All Star player in Love to a conference rival thus making it even harder to make the playoffs. I would think that Kevin Love would feel the same way. That’s why it’s probably better for both parties that he be shipped to the Eastern Conference.