According to the report, the Cavaliers' offer still appeals to the Timberwolves more than any other proposal for Love. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers cannot trade No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins before Aug. 23, they remain the front-runner to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star power forward Kevin Love in a trade, ESPN.com reported Friday.
According to the report, the Cavaliers’ offer still appeals to the Timberwolves more than any other proposal for Love.
The Cavaliers signed Wiggins on Thursday, so they must wait 30 days from that date before they can trade him. Despite that, they are confident of their chances of acquiring Love and pairing him with star forward LeBron James.
The Chicago Bulls, also hopeful of making a deal for Love, would likely include draft pick Doug McDermott and/or European star Nikola Mirotic in a trade. However, they just signed both players on July 18 so they also must wait before trading them.
The Golden State Warriors are considered the Timberwolves’ preferred trade partner in a deal involving Love, but the Warriors have refused to include shooting guard Klay Thompson in proposals.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, however, prefers Wiggins over Thompson because he views Wiggins as a possible superstar and Thompson will soon be eligible for a lucrative contract extension.
The Cavaliers or Bulls could reach an agreement in principle with the Timberwolves on a Love trade involving their newly-signed draft picks during the 30-day waiting periods but no deals can be officially announced until the moratorium ends.
Love has informed the Timberwolves he is not interested in signing a contract extension with them and plans to opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of next season.
Taylor has insisted that the Timberwolves want to keep Love but other sources have said the team would like to move him before the season starts due to the public knowledge that he is not willing to stay with the team beyond next season.
James is believed to be intrigued by Wiggins’ potential but also supports the Cavaliers’ preference to win now by acquiring Love.
Last week, ESPN The Magazine reported that the Cavaliers and Timberwolves were close to a deal but Minnesota wanted more than what Cleveland was offering.
