Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins For Kevin Love?

The NBA trade rumor talk is centered around, not surprisingly, the best available player, Kevin Love. While the Bulls say they are making a push for him, the team with the best shot of making a trade for Love is by far the Cleveland Cavaliers. The talk is that Wiggins and a few other guys is what the Timberwolves are looking for in return to Love. As of now, the Cavs have yet to sign Wiggins to a deal, and if they do, that would prevent them from trading him for 30 days. Signing Wiggins would not mean the Timberwolves and Cavaliers trade talks are over, but it would certainly open up  window of opportunity for other teams to make a deal.

If the Cavs did trade Andrew Wiggins, he would be the first, first-overall draft pick to be traded from his original team in the last 8 drafts. And while all the talks about this trade have centered upon Wiggins on the Cavs side, Skip Bayless yesterday morning on ESPN First Take noted that trading Kyrie Irving for Kevin Love may be a good trade for both sides. I personally disagree with it froma Cavs point of view, but do acknowledge it could be an option.

The biggest question people are asking is whether or not trading away Wiggins is the best idea for the Cavs. Kevin Love is a 26 and 12 player who would be a great complement to LeBron and be the first really good rebounder he has played with in his NBA career. He would give the team an immediate shot at contending for the NBA title and without question make the team better. Kevin Love is also only 25 years old, and could potentially be in Cleveland for a long time.

The question is, is it worth trading your first overall pick with a huge upside? In this case, my answer is no. Andrew Wiggins is a phenomenal basketball player who I see as being one of the top ten players in the league in a few years. He is a great defensive player, would cost the Cavs less money over the next 4 years or so with a rookie contract, and has the potential to develop as a scorer and all around player in the next 2 to 3 years which really isn't that long to wait. In the meantime, I believe LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and a young Wiggins could still carry this team to new heights. In my eyes, any team LeBron James is on is a contender, especially in the East.

It's hard to tell the Cavs that trading for Kevin Love is not worth it, because there is no question he would make the team better right now, but I just don't believe trading away the number one pick in the NBA draft with such great potential is ever a good idea. Only time will tell though.

B. Howell

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