If the Cavaliers are really willing to trade Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, the deal should be completed soon.
The Timberwolves can take advantage of LeBron James’ desire to play with Love and get phenomenal return for a player who might walk in a year.
It’s a no-brainer.
Unless…
Joe Kotoch of Pro Basketball Draft:
Not to burst Cavs fans bubble but if Warriors are willing to include Thompson that trumps Cavs. Wolves prefer Klay bc more ready per source.
— Joe Kotoch Real Estate (@luxuryagentchi) July 18, 2014
Klay Thompson is more ready? Ready to do what? Help Minnesota win 40 games again?
The Timberwolves finished 10th in the West last season with Love. Regardless of whether they trade the top-10 player for Thompson or Wiggins, they’re taking a step back. Flip Saunders isn’t that good of a coach, and the rest of the roster didn’t change much.
The West is too strong, anyway. Minnesota is better off rebuilding in earnest with Wiggins and letting the conference’s top teams cool off. Even if the Timberwolves were somewhat positioned to win now – they’re not – the intense intra-conference competition should push them in the direction of a longer-term process.
I hope Saunders is just trying to leverage the Warriors’ unwillingness to deal Thompson for Love into squeezing out every last possible asset from Cleveland in a Love-Wiggins trade. Wiggins plus salary filler to make the trade work under CBA rules is enough, but I don’t begrudge Saunders for trying to get more. He has Love, and therefore, he has some leverage.
But if he truly prefers Thompson to Wiggins, Saunders is more unqualified to run the Timberwolves than we ever imagined.
