Kevin Love Rumors: Let The Waiting Game Begin!
By Ronald Agers
Jun 27, 2014; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick Andrew Wiggins (21) is introduced by head coach David Blatt (left) and general manager David Griffin at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Oh my God! We have up to 30 days of Kevin Love rumors! For the next few weeks, every NBA beat writer will draw EVERY scenario they can trying to break down what the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls will do next. The sad thing is 85% of what you hear from the Chicago Bulls side is bull because they will let you know at the press conference.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece on Chris Broussard asking the world if they were tired of him and his sources. The Carmelo Anthony saga was running a little long and everyone was getting impatient. Well Pippen Peoples, I hope you don’t get tired of Pippen Ain’t Easy, your best source for Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews.
If you thought the Carmelo Anthony saga was bad, this one is going to be worse. You see Carmelo Anthony was an unrestricted free agent. He wasn’t under contract. His situation was easy to figure out for me because, Carmelo loves three things. One, he loves New York. Two, he loves money and three, he loves himself. This was not a very difficult read if you have paid attention to Carmelo Anthony’s career.
The Kevin Love situation is going to be very different. You see Kevin Love is under contract. He is currently going into his last year before he can opt out this summer. He has already let the Minnesota Timberwolves know that he will NOT sign an extension. It’s very clear and everyone in the NBA circles knows this. Now the Timberwolves need to make sure they get something while they can or risk letting Kevin Love walk out the door with nothing to show for it.
This past week the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are now back in the news as the frontrunners in the Kevin Love sweepstakes. I know you are going to hear about the Golden State Warriors from time to time, but until they decide to put Klay Thompson in the mix, don’t waste your time and energy worrying about them. As of this writing, the Warriors have shown no desire to trade Thompson out of the Bay Area.
I do not believe that the Chicago Bulls should even deal with Kevin Love in the first place. Think about this. If you think the Bulls would have clean out their roster to get Carmelo Anthony, what do you think the Bulls are going to have to give up for Kevin Love?
Well none of this matters for a good long while because the assets that the Timberwolves want from the Cavaliers and the Bulls will not be available for at least 30 days.
According to ESPN.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed No.1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to a contract. What does that mean? It means that the Cavaliers cannot include Wiggins in any trade deals until at least August 23rd.
Andrew Wiggins has been the center piece in trade discussions between Cleveland and Minnesota that would send Kevin Love to Cleveland. Now thanks to the league rules on rookie contracts, this deal has a 30 day waiting period. The rookie contract is the standard that will pay Wiggins $5.5 million dollars the first year in which the Cavs gave him the 20 percent premium on the rookie scale according to sources.
I heard comments on this website that now that Wiggins being signed eliminates the Cavaliers from the Kevin Love sweepstakes. NOT TRUE! The Cavaliers have already stated that the trade will be easier if Andrew Wiggins was under contract outside of the 30 day wait. Now Wiggins’ new salary actually can make the cap math easier in a Kevin Love deal. Had he stayed unsigned, Wiggins’ rights would have no monetary value. This is the NBA. Everything has a dollar sign attached to it.
Now that there is a 30 day waiting period (the countdown has already started) is in effect. It gives other teams time to put together a package that would appeal to the Timberwolves.
Hello Chicago Bulls!
Now the Bulls have renewed their efforts to make a trade for Kevin Love…again. As of this writing the Bulls are offering Taj Gibson and the newly signed Nikola Mirotic to start things off. I’ve also heard that Doug McDermott could be in the mix as well. Guess what! If McDermott is in the mix he can’t be traded for the exact same reasons that I explained earlier about Andrew Wiggins.
Now Pippen Peoples, we need to keep a couple of things in mind going forward. Believe me you are going to need this.
1) The Cleveland Cavaliers are still the leaders in the clubhouse in the race for Kevin Love. Look, they can offer more assets and reportedly Kevin Love wants to play with LeBron James. Love is a better fit in Cleveland than Chicago.
2) The league forbids any public announcement or confirmation of an agreement until the 30 day period passes. HOWEVER, the league CANNOT stop the Cavs or the Bulls from striking a deal in principle with Minnesota during the 30 day period.
What this means is the deal could have been done yesterday by either of these teams and it would be a rumor for 30 days. Cleveland or Chicago could have Kevin Love right now in principle and very few would know about it.
Well while all of these rumors fly, keep it locked to Pippen Ain’t Easy for the latest analysis on the Kevin Love sweepstakes. We have about 30 days to wait. We might as well talk about it.