The fallout from LeBron James’ decision to move from Cleveland to Los Angeles could result in Kevin Love being traded by the Cavaliers.
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Cleveland is now “open” to trading Love now that James is in Los Angeles. It’s a move we argued the Cavaliers absolutely have to make to kick-start this rebuilding process, and it’s one that appears to be inevitable at this time.
Cleveland reportedly also is looking to trade veterans George Hill and Kyle Korver. So clearly, this is a franchise that’s looking to scrap everything and build from the ground up once again.
Love isn’t a superstar, but he’s still capable of putting up 20 and 10 on a nightly basis, especially on a team that needs his offensive output more than Cleveland did in recent years.
Last season with the Cavaliers, he averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds during the regular season, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three.
The veteran forward still has two years left on the five-year, $113.2 million extension he signed with the Cavs in 2015. He is set to earn $24.1 million during the 2018-19 season and $25.5 million during the 2019-20 campaign.
Editor’s note: A previous version incorrectly included a report attributed to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, which said that Love expects to be traded.