NBA Trade Rumors: Should Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Kevin Love to Los Angeles Lakers for Nick Young?
The Cleveland Cavaliers haven't got off to the dominating start that most fans thought they would.
The Cavaliers are just 6-7 through the first 13 regular season games, and they currently sit in third place in the Central Division behind the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
Of course, it's not panic time because there's so many games remaining, but restructuring the roster is always a possibility. We all know local favorite and four time Most Valuable Player LeBron James isn't going anywhere. Former No. 1 overall draft pick Kyrie Irving has shown he can run the point guard position very well in Cleveland, and the possibility of him leaving any time soon is extremely unlikely.
Which leaves Kevin Love.
Love was acquired by the Cavaliers in the offseason via trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he hasn't quite fit the Cavaliers system very well.
Love is averaging just 9.8 rebounds per game this season, the lowest since his rookie season. After averaging 26.1 points per game last year, Love is scoring just 16.2 points per game this season, and his 3-point shooting has been off the mark. Love is also averaging the lowest blocks per game (0.2) of his career. When you watch Cavaliers games, it appears as if Love doesn't "fit the system" the way many thought he would.
Brazilian-born center Anderson Varejao is playing much better than Love so far this season.
The Cavaliers should explore all options going forward. They should even consider trading Love before the NBA trade deadline so they can get value in return. The NBA trade deadline ends on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. EST.
Another crucial factor to consider is Love's contract. According to multiple sources, Love is considering opting out of his contract after this very season and signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Love is originally from Southern California, and he played college basketball at UCLA. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Love decided to join the Lakers after this season, especially considering he expressed interest in joining them this previous offseason.
Imagine if the Cavaliers were to lose Love without getting any value in return? It would reminiscent of the Dwight Howard situation with the Lakers years ago.
The Lakers aren't contenders this season, and they know that. Future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant is set to retire in the near future, and the Lakers roster isn't loaded with a lot of high-quality skilled players. One option for the Lakers to obtain Love could be trading Nick Young.
A potential Love-Young trade could benefit everyone involved.
The Cavaliers would get a quality young player who still has four years remaining on his contract. The Lakers would get a player who loves to play in that area, and similar to James, he would be "coming home." Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers need a reliable big man in the paint area.
As for the players, both would come out winners, as well. Young is a talented shooting guard who would get a lot of perimeter shots with the Cavaliers, especially considering Ray Allen remains a free agent. Young could do a lot of damage in an inferior Eastern Conference. As for Love, playing in Los Angeles would a much better fit. There's just not enough shots to go around in Cleveland, and again, Varejao is a very underrated big man.
With the Lakers struggling and having the league's worst defensive unit, making a trade proposal to the Cavaliers for Love would be a wise decision. Young is a good player who the Cavaliers could use on their roster in this possible trade.
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