Adrian W: Love May Be Available Now and Boston is One of The Teams Lining Up

The Clips could use Da Detergent.

Love Trade Interest Coming From Same Teams As Garnett In 2007
May 19, 2014 2:08 PM EDT


History is repeating itself in the form of the Minnesota Timberwolves trading away a perennial All-Star power forward named Kevin.

In 2007, the Wolves traded away Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls were the teams to be closely rumored to discussing a trade with the Wolves.

In 2014, the Wolves appear likely to trade away Kevin Love. The parties likely to be involved are a virtual repeat of those 2007 trade discussions. The Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Suns and Bulls have all been mentioned as interested parties. The Houston Rockets have also been added to the mix in these discussions.

The New York Knicks were also interested in Garnett back in 2007, but like their interest in Love this time around, they don't appear to have enough trade assets to become a realistic partner.

Via RealGM Staff Report



bob
MY NOTE:  Let's hope history repeats itself again, indeed.  After that trade we went from being a truly crappy team and won #17.


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Wolves Won't Trade Kevin Love Before Draft
May 19, 2014 11:58 AM EDT


The Minnesota Timberwolves will not trade Kevin Love before the NBA Draft.

The Wolves are beginning to entertain trading away Love as he will opt out for free agency in 2015.

“Not by the draft,” owner Glen Taylor said on Sunday about the possibility.

Taylor said he hasn't had recent discussions with Flip Saunders about dealing away Love. Taylor remains hopeful of convincing Love to remain with the franchise long-term.

David Kahn gave Love a four-year, $61 million extension in January 2012 instead of a five-year, $80 million deal. Love wasn't happy at the time and he can now leave a season earlier.

Via Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune



bob
MY NOTE:  Excellent.  That gives Danny more time to pull other rabbits, like a 7-foot one with an extra long earspan, out of his hat first.


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If history really repeats, the Celts will get both an elite big guy and a proven sharpshooter. But they'll still have to replace Perk (at the very least).

Sam

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2014/05/kevin_love_wont_sign_with_boston_celtics.html


Why Would Kevin Love Come to the Celtics? Short Answer: He Probably Won't

Glenn Yoder
@glennyoder
Boston.com Staff
MAY 19, 2014 11:46 AM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Glenn Yoder is the sports editor at Boston.com. He has worked at the Globe building since 2005 in a variety of roles: editor of BDCwire, Boston Globe food writer, and Boston.com producer. He's a graduate of Northeastern University.



Don't get too enamored with the idea of Kevin Love in Celtics' green.

It's true, the star power forward doesn't technically have the right to veto any potential trade partner his Minnesota Timberwolves may find. He doesn't, except he kind of does.

The NBA is a superstars' league and those stars have a loud say in where they end up. It's something the last collective bargaining agreement attempted to fix -- for parity's sake -- after LeBron/Wade/Bosh teamed up in South Beach. But it's far from corrected. We're about to see that play out again with Love's saga.

First off, it's not worth it for the C's or any other team in the hunt for his services to give up increasingly valuable lottery picks, salary cap relief, and young studs this summer for one season of the 25-year-old Love, only to see the double-double machine become an unrestricted free agent in 2015 and fly away. Any potential destination city is going to need Love's commitment that he plans to re-up and stay there.

So, assuming the Celtics dangle the right assets to get Minnesota's attention, here's the real question: Why would Kevin Love come to Boston? More specifically, why would he choose the Celtics over other potential suitors like Golden State and Phoenix, or even L.A.?


Here are the pros for Boston:
- Skilled young coach (Love cited Brad Stevens as a free agent lure)
- Perhaps the league's best pass-first point guard (assuming Rondo isn't dealt and remains healthy)
- A GM who has shown he can shake up a roster and turn water into wine
- A top 10 media market
- Those 17 championship banners

And the cons:
- The weather
- The Celtics may have to gut their team to get him

Those two cons are bigger than you think.

Mind you, he'd be leaving Minnesota. He probably wants to see the sun occasionally during the course of the season. And the Warriors can offer the beautiful Bay Area, strangely coveted first time head coach Steve Kerr, and a made-to-compete roster (even if they swap David Lee and spare parts, they still have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala -- more than enough to make a deep run with Love). Also, my God, can you imagine the rain of threes coming from a Curry/Thompson/Love line? That situation looks like the best fit for Love, at least from a winning standpoint. The question for GSW is, would Minnesota take what is likely to be the weakest package offered?

Phoenix can also offer warm weather, its own skilled coach (Jeff Hornacek, who finished second in this season's Coach of the Year voting), and a young roster on the rise. The current group shocked everyone by nearly making the playoffs this year in a loaded Western Conference. Assuming they get restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe back in the fold, reforming the two-headed Dragic-Bledsoe backcourt beast, the Suns are set to be scary for the next few years. Love would immediately make them at least a top-five force in the West and definitely the most exciting team to watch. They're already the ultimate NBA League Pass team -- Love would only up the entertainment value.

Even the Lakers, disastrous as their roster looks at present, are more appealing that Boston. It's L.A. They almost always get their man. For someone leaving the Minnesota tundra, those bright lights, beaches, and celebrities look pretty damn appealing. And Love has roots there (he went to UCLA and his uncle's a Beach Boy for heaven's sake). I mean, come on. Then again, even with all that home cooking, does Love really want to be paired with a recovering, over-the-hill Kobe Bryant and his mammoth albatross of a contract? For that alone, let's seed the Lakers third in this race. Actually, no, they're the Lakers. Let's place them second.

If the Celtics truly gutted their roster to acquire Love but retained Rondo, it would actually look a little like the situation he'd be leaving in Minnesota. Great passing point guard (though in fairness, Rondo is obviously a far superior defender, leader, and even shooter than Ricky Rubio), Love needing to do way too much in order for the team to win, a couple youngsters with big question marks, likely a couple vets, not much else. Sure, they'd be a playoff team in the weak East (unlike Minny out West) but they wouldn't be a serious contender. There would still be a lot of work to do. Could Danny Ainge work his magic one more time to acquire a Ray Allen type to Love's Garnett? It would depend on what Boston is left with to wheel and deal. And does that kind of roster-building lightning really strike twice? Those are some long odds.

So let's just say all four teams make solid offers to the T-Wolves and President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders and GM Milt Newton come to Love and say, "Kevin, we have good packages from L.A., Golden State, Phoenix, and Boston. We're cool with any of them. They just need to know if you'll sign the max extension." Given those options, how is Boston not a distant fourth on that list?

Look, I'd like to see Love here too, but it seems far-fetched. It actually kind of feels impossible, if I'm being honest. Even if Boston bowls over the T-Wolves with an insane package (three picks, Sullinger, etc), they still need Love's commitment. And I just don't see it coming. Not with unrestricted free agency looming, offering the right to choose his own destination.

So no, technically he doesn't have the right of refusal on any trade. But Kevin Love is still holding all the cards. And unless he's a huge fan of lobster rolls and Boston accents, I just can't see him greenlighting a trade to the Celtics.



bob



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This is why I'd like to be able to demonstrate to Love that he'd be paired with an intimidator on defense and, along with Rondo, would represent a very promising future. As for the sun, it gives people cancer.

Sam

Guys, gals, He may wind up in Houston, which could work to our advantage. We need something to incentivize McHale to trade us Asik. Acquiring Love may put McHale in search of chips. We have chips. Hello Asik. Goodbye Mr. Chips.

Hi,
With all due respect I'd say Mr. Yonder should stick with Food Page at BDC.

AK

Sinus,

"Mr. Yonder." I love it!

Actually, I believe his name is pronounded "Yoda," which qualifies him to travel in star circles.

Sam

Sorry, my bad about the name. But I stand behind the rest of my post.

AK

Sinus,

Actually, I thought you meant to spell the name that way. I thought it was a hoot! Hey, take the credit for a good one!

Sam

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/233497/Warriors-Dont-Want-To-Trade-Klay-Thompson-In-Love-Deal


Warriors Don't Want To Trade Klay Thompson In Love Deal
May 20, 2014 10:35 AM EDT


The Golden State Warriors are a team of interest to Kevin Love, which will likely trigger a run of trade proposals.

The Warriors would surely need to build their offer around David Lee from a financial perspective.

But the Warriors don't have picks in coming seasons to trade due to the Andre Iguodala deal and will need to offer the Wolves values in the form of Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.

The Warriors don't want to trade Thompson in any deal for Love, according to a source.

Via Marcus Thompson II/San Jose Mercury News



bob
MY NOTE:  If Klay Thompson is off the table, then it will be tough for GSW to make the trade.  I like David Lee, but his contract is similar to Love's and he's 6 years older, so no joy for Minny there.  Harrison Barnes and Green are nice, but not much more than that, certainly enough to turn Minny's head.  Thompson is the real gem in that whole thing, a 6'7" gunslinging SG who shot 46.4% from 3 last year, and if he's not included any package looks much weaker.  Unlike Danny, they have not been gathering picks like they were gold.  One less competitor for Love.  This leaves LA, NY, Houston, Phoenix.


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"This leaves LA, NY, Houston, Phoenix."


man I don't see WHAT LA has to offer..their lotto pick THIS year?

what else?

same with NY..what do they have except bloated contracts on mostly old or injured players?


now Houston MAY have some parts( but Asik isn;t one of them, as Minny already has a NBA center) perhaps that three team deal could work out for them. HoweverI can't see Ainge helping McHale get Love IF Ainge wants him too.

that leaves Phoenix and they DO have assets in both draft picks and young players.

someone just needs to convince Love that Phoenix shouldn't be an option...LOL.

I really think Danny and McHale hope to work something out whereby Houston gets Love, we get Asik, and we keep our first pick. If we get Asik I hope our pick is Jabari. We'd be strong at the 1,3,4,and 5 then. ----plus AB at the 2.

Here's Mike Gorman's take on the Kevin Love deal:


“The thing I’ve always heard about Kevin Love is that he wants to go back to Los Angeles and he wants to play, after five years or however long it’s been in Minnesota, in a warm weather climate. That kind of eliminates us here in Boston.

“He also says, because he’s never made the playoffs, he wants to go to a team that’s gonna be in the playoffs right away. That would be optimistic. You’d like to see the Celtics in the playoffs next year, but when you had 25 wins or whatever it was this year I’m not thinking you’re gonna make that big of a jump of 20 wins necessary to make the playoffs.

“On that sense I don’t think it backs up that Kevin Love will come here,” said Gorman.


bob
MY NOTE:  That pretty much leaves LA out too.  They have the sun, but they won't have the playoff fun.  The Knicks are even worse than us since they don't have the sun and they have no draft picks and only one player.  Only Houston, GSW or Phoenix can offer it all and GSW doesn't have the package to lure Minny if Klay Thompson is excluded.  I like Worcester's idea.  Houston gets Love, we get Asik and Minny gets some picks from us and maybe the $10.3M trade exception and Bass or Hump (who is a hometown boy made good from Minneapolis).


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worcester wrote:I really think Danny and McHale hope to work something out whereby Houston gets Love, we get Asik, and we keep our first pick. If we get Asik I hope our pick is Jabari. We'd be strong at the 1,3,4,and 5 then. ----plus AB at the 2.

Worcester,

I suspect that McHale has very little say in trades for Houston.
Daryl Morey is pretty much a lone cowboy when it comes to making personnel decisions for Houston.
From reports after their season ended, McHale barely kept his job as head coach.
How would you expect Houston to get Kevin Love?
Besides Chandler Parsons and some crappy draft picks, I don't see what else would be attractive for Minnesota.

Bob, Think of this lineup - Asik, Sully or Kelly. Jabari or Jeff, Avery, and Rajon. That's a pretty solid starting 5, both defensively and offensively - plus it leaves us some cap room to swing another deal. Hopefully we can also get TJ Warren with #17. Of course this presumes we get one of the first 3 picks.

TJ - We could give Houston picks for Asik. They could trade those picks for Kevin Love. McHale was a mentor for Love, and Love reportedly loves McHale who in turn loves Love. It could be a Love fest. As far as the GM goes, he'd be run out of town if word got out he had a chance to get Love and didn't go for it.

worcester wrote:TJ - We could give Houston picks for Asik. They could trade those picks for Kevin Love. McHale was a mentor for Love, and Love reportedly loves McHale who in turn loves Love. It could be a Love fest. As far as the GM goes, he'd be run out of town if word got out he had a chance to get Love and didn't go for it.

Worcester,

Giving up mid to late first round picks will not land a team Kevin Love.
Minnesota has had multiple lottery picks in recent years and have mostly bombed on them.
There will be many, many teams looking to put together strong trade offers for Love.

worcester wrote:TJ - We could give Houston picks for Asik. They could trade those picks for Kevin Love. McHale was a mentor for Love, and Love reportedly loves McHale who in turn loves Love. It could be a Love fest. As far as the GM goes, he'd be run out of town if word got out he had a chance to get Love and didn't go for it.

Houston gets Love
Minny gets Jeff Green and Bass + pick (s) from us
Boston gets Asik and Lin

According to the NBA Trade Machine this deal works, and it didn't even require use of any of the $10.3M trade exception we have from Brooklyn. Maybe, and the Machine won't let me test this, but maybe we could use the trade exception INSTEAD of taking Lin.


bob


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I'd prefer Chandler Parsons over Lin   


KJ

KJ, I'm with you. Who wouldn't prefer Parsons over Lin?

TJ, I was thinking along Bob's lines that we'd also be packaging some players for the deal. You know Minny holds very few cards here. In 12 months Love can walk. They need his acquiescence to strike a deal, and he must agree to a long term contract somewhere. If he wants to go to Boston or Phoenix, LA, or Houston, Minny has to cooperate or else lose him in a year with zippo to show for it.

Bob,

I'm not so sure that Golden State is out if Klay Thompson is off the table. Draymond Green has improved dramatically in his two seasons, and as far as I'm concerned, he was a star in the series against the Clippers. It was absurd that the Warriors outrebounded the Clips considering Bogut was out for the whole series and Jermaine O'Neal for part of it, leaving them with no one to physically match up with Griffin and Jordan. Draymond Green did a fantastic job keeping Griffin in check and outrebounded him 8.3 to 6.3 per game. He did a pretty good job on the offensive end as well. I'd rather not part with Klay, but Green isn't far behind, in my estimation, and he's expendable from a roster standpoint if they get Love.

Another thing is that Love doesn't have veto power over the trade, but he can exercise a de facto veto power by only signing an extension if he likes the destination. If California and/or warm weather plus being on a contender are truly important considerations for him, then Golden State fits that bill better than the Lakers. But then I have no idea what the Lakers have to offer to get Love in the first place.

Regarding Love's love for a warm weather home...

A WORD ABOUT THE WEATHER

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
The coolest thing Mark Twain never said.

While usually attributed to him, the actual source of these words is unknown
and there is no evidence that Mark Twain ever said this.

San Francisco is actually blessed with a wonderfully moderate climate all year long. The temperature is rarely too hot, and seldom too cold. The average daily temperature is 62.5 degrees. Expect some of the famous fog during the summer and some rain November through March. The months of September and October are renowned for their balmy, fog free, sunny days.

Outside wrote:Bob,

I'm not so sure that Golden State is out if Klay Thompson is off the table. Draymond Green has improved dramatically in his two seasons, and as far as I'm concerned, he was a star in the series against the Clippers. It was absurd that the Warriors outrebounded the Clips considering Bogut was out for the whole series and Jermaine O'Neal for part of it, leaving them with no one to physically match up with Griffin and Jordan. Draymond Green did a fantastic job keeping Griffin in check and outrebounded him 8.3 to 6.3 per game. He did a pretty good job on the offensive end as well. I'd rather not part with Klay, but Green isn't far behind, in my estimation, and he's expendable from a roster standpoint if they get Love.

Another thing is that Love doesn't have veto power over the trade, but he can exercise a de facto veto power by only signing an extension if he likes the destination. If California and/or warm weather plus being on a contender are truly important considerations for him, then Golden State fits that bill better than the Lakers. But then I have no idea what the Lakers have to offer to get Love in the first place.

outside,

I agree that Draymond Green has become quite a player. His rebounding, in particular, snapped my cap back in the recent playoffs. As you point out there is no way GSW should have been able to hang in there on the boards like they did but Green really stepped his game up. Not bad for a #35 pick, huh? Having said that, however, he's not even close to the player Klay Thompson is and Minny knows it. They're not going to want to give up one of the best PFs in the league for a "good" player. They'll either want a player that is almost an all-star like Thompson, especially if they're going to take on Lee's contract. I could be wrong, we'll all see, but my gut says no ESPECIALLY since GSW doesn't really have a lot of draft picks they can soften the omission of Thompson with.

Yes, Love can kibosh the deal by sending the word through his agent to the acquiring team that he's not interested in re-signing with them. We saw that happen last year with Rondo saying there was no way he'd re-sign with Sacto, and those rumors died immediately. Whomever sent that trial balloon aloft watched it go down like the Hindenburg. I don't think Love wants to leave Minny on a bad note, though, so I think he'll try to at least make it look as if he's working with Minny management to get them what they feel they deserve.

If Love doesn't go to the Celtics I'm fine, just fine, with him going to GSW. Nothing can make my blood turn anything but green, but it sure will make me more interested in watching the locals play. I cheer for them whenever they're not playing the Celtics. Blood is thicker than Perrier and my blood is green.


bob


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