(Yawns at all mentions of Kevin Love being traded to Cleveland for what we could offer Minnesota)
If the Clippers dont get LeBron this summer, than they will get Kevin Love for Griffin. Mix and match assets going back and forth.
Kevin Love was raised in Portland, loves the west coast, and would love to take advantage of the LA market. (I mean... his uncle is a effing BEACH BOY, he's instant marketing gold when he gets to LA, and he could continue to never play a lick of defense next to DJ)
Would you trade Kyrie for Dion and Tristan and a mid/late teen 1st round pick? No? Then why would another team trade their franchise player for that package either? And WHO around the league, is valuing Tristan Thompson as anything more than a first big off the bench?
Collectively, all I see is trepidation and apprehension whenever him switching his shooting hand is brought up by talking heads during highlights or when GM's are talking. He very much looks like the same level of project player that he was being drafted. Positionless. Better yet, he has a position. Center, he's just not big enough to be a gamechanging player down there.
On a daily basis, I see signs that Kevin Love is going to be the next Kevin Garnett... only going to the other coast. Either Lakers or Clippers, with the Clippers right now in the best position to get him and contend the minute he is plugged in next to DeAndre Jordan. Lakers would have to do some housecleaning, but they would get it done as well. Dont rule out the Lakers MIRACULOUSLY hitting gold this lottery and getting one of the top 5 players from this draft. A Dante Exum would sell pretty well on their coast with Australia being seemlessly lumped into the Lakers broadcast market. If the Lakers lucked into Exum, that would be the place I would head to. Does anyone realize the Lakers are a Kobe Bryant retirement away from having NOONE on their payroll after next season? NOBODY.
Kobe's contract is structured for him to get paid more, now, and retire before that behemoth comes off the books, we'd better have our core firmly in place before the Lakers become buyers in the next 2 seasons, honestly.
In short, Kevin Love wont be coming here.
And less than a week ago, Pera and the Grizzlies just traded for Courtney Lee to show their fanbase that they ARE NOT tanking and are trying to balance the personalities and get back to contending (to no avail without the coach that made it possible)
I dont think some understand what that little trade meant last week. Let me translate that to Cavs talk for you...
The Grizzlies just traded an expiring combo guard (Bayless) for Jarrett Jack and his contract. Courtney Lee and his albatross of a contract are the reason Jeff Green has not been traded yet, and the Grizzlies just gave away multiple second rounders in order to get him. They are NOT trading Marc Gasol. Gasol is NOT a free agent after this season. Randolph has a player option and they have shopped him a little, but Gasol has only been mentioned as a trade target HERE.
The Grizzlies would love to get their hands on Andy probably, but that is IN SUPPORT of Gasol for the rest of this season, before they get a hometown deal on resigning Pau Gasol for peanuts to reunite the entire Gasol clan back where Pau moved them to before he was traded to LA.
So... Love, no.
M. Gasol, no.
Moving on.