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California Love: Are The Golden State Warriors A Favorite To Land Kevin Love?

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It’s no secret that Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love has been a hot commodity for quite some time. Even though Love signed an extension to remain in Minnesota through the 2015-16 season with an opt out clause in the summer of 2015, the rumor mill has been good for some Love banter for a couple of years now. The overwhelming belief was that at some point in the foreseeable future he would abandon the small market Timberwolves and join a roster that either gave him a better chance to win—a task that has eluded him for the duration of his career— or head to a franchise that was located in a bigger city or in better geographical location on a standard United States map.

A few weeks ago it was reported that Kevin Love’s “people” notified the Timberwolves higher-ups that Kevin Love would be leaving the team in the summer of 2015 and “sources” have already been whispering about some of the teams that Love would supposedly prefer to play for. As an aside, it would be awesome if someday I was of such importance that I can have “people” who could float around my feelings and intentions so I didn’t have to. Even if I can’t make that happen, I at least hope I can land some “sources” that clue me in early when the “people” of particular NBA players are talking about important stuff. Anyway, Love didn’t officially request a trade, but this was definitely the backdoor, wink wink way to do so.

The Kevin Love trade rumors have begun to spread like wild-fire. It appears that the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings have made formal offers. The Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have also shown interest in acquiring the three-time All-Star. It remains unclear if the Timberwolves are indeed willing to part ways with Love between now and next summer. As I mentioned previously, I don’t have any “sources” so I’m not going to speculate where Kevin Love ends up, but having kept a close eye on the Warriors for the last three or four years. It’s clear to me that they need to be ready to pull the trigger on a deal for Kevin Love if that opportunity presents itself.

The move itself would look something like this: Love and Kevin Martin for Klay Thompson, David Lee, Harrison Barnes and some assortment of the Warriors draft picks in the 2015 and 2016 NBA Draft’s. Even though Golden State has insisted that they aren’t willing to part ways with Klay Thompson, an improving all-around player and knock-down spot-up shooter, the chance to acquire one of the premier players in the league is an opportunity they can’t afford to pass up.

The Warriors have been to the Playoffs the last two years, but even in the uber competitive Western Conference, just playing into May or June doesn’t cut it. The Warriors want to win big and win soon. Their best chance to do so is to pair up Stephen Curry, quickly blossoming into a full-blown superstar, with Love, no matter who you have to give up. Even if the Warriors have to take a page out of the Flint Tropics playbook and send their washing machine away in the trade, a deal needs to get done.

The move is a win-win for both sides. Love would be given the opportunity to play in his home state of California and in a bigger market, two points on his imaginary trade wish list. He would be playing alongside USA Basketball buddies Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. His defensive shortcomings wouldn’t look quite as bad with rim-protecting center Andrew Bogut manning the paint. And perhaps most importantly, he’d be going to war for an organization clearly dedicated to winning big and winning soon.

On paper the Warriors would be trotting out one of the best starting five’s in the league. Keeping things on paper, the bench would clearly be lacking, but teams that are either in title contention or close to being in title contention, the bench tends to fall in place. One can assume that Steve Kerr will implement an offense that pushes the tempo and is predicated on ball movement, similar to that of the Phoenix Suns during his tenure as their general manager. Ideally, Kerr would have a power forward on the roster who could stretch the floor, carry some of the scoring burden, pass the ball and rebound at a high level. Sound like anyone you know?

Seeing Love in one of those awesome Warriors jerseys is a basketball fans fantasy, and maybe that is where the inspiration for this article comes from. I’m admittedly selfish and will always favor moves being made that result in the most entertaining basketball. I’m sure you could understand that I can’t get the thought of Curry and Love running pick and pops out of my head. Or how about Love throwing those long outlet passes he’s become famous for to Andre Iguodala. That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, trades in the NBA aren’t made based on what would entertain me or anybody else. If they were, the Warriors and Timberwolves would be on the phone figuring out how to make this deal happen. For the time being, it doesn’t appear that a trade featuring Love as the centerpiece is imminent. But I can assure you that once a prospective move comes closer to being a reality, I won’t be the one to break that story because I don’t know any “people” or have any “sources.”

Author: Sonny Giuliano

When I was young my parents told me not to talk to strangers, but if you wanna chat or have a friendly debate about the NBA, then we can make an exception! Follow me on Twitter… it’s gonna be fun.

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