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Trail Blazers Trade Buzz: The Kevin Love Question

By Steven Dewald

June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first half in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first half in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Why Kevin Love Would Fit

The Trail Blazers are led by their dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, which leaves little room for post scoring. Portland transitioned to an extremely pleasing style of play after watching LaMarcus Aldridge move on, but adding a reliable scorer in the post could mean big things for their title aspirations.

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Love has become a reliable scorer from beyond the arc and inside the paint. His outside shooting would have come in handy against the Clippers this postseason, as it would have kept LA’s defense from swarming Lillard and McCollum. He is also capable of scoring efficiently from the post with his back to the basket, which is something that Terry Stotts lacks with his current big man rotation. Love’s ability to score in half court sets would have seriously added to Portland’s ability to run out the clock when enjoying leads against the Warriors.

Offensive rebounding is crucial for the Trail Blazers, as they rely on shooting from outside. Love has played further away from the basket in Cleveland, but he finished in the top five for offensive rebounding on three separate occasions while in Minnesota. A return to his dominant rebounding form is certainly plausible if he is used properly.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The biggest deciding factor on a potential Love trade would be the asking price. The Cav’s are in a position to win now, which means they will have little interest in the Trail Blazers’ future draft picks (which happens to include Cleveland’s 2018 first rounder). They will be interested in adding players who are ready to contribute immediately. Lillard is untouchable, but the Cav’s would likely make McCollum their primary target. Exchanging McCollum for Love would be a very steep asking price, but substituting McCollum for Crabbe would make the move much more palatable.

Crabbe is a restricted free agent this summer, but he is out of Cleveland’s price range. A sign-and-trade could be negotiated to make the trade work. If the Cav’s settle on Crabbe being the feature piece of Portland’s package, another player would likely have to get involved to make the deal worth it on their end. Adding Love would make one of the Trail Blazers’ current big men expendable.

Perhaps the biggest thing Love would bring to the table is stability. He is currently under contract through the 2019-20 season. His contract doesn’t include an early-termination or player option, which means he could be paired with Lillard to finish out the decade. Love is only 27 years old, so the Trail Blazers could enjoy the most productive years of his career.

Next: The Case Against Kevin Love