NBA trade news: Cavs show desperation in firing David Blatt, trading Kevin Love could be next
Many believe that firing David Blatt is just the tip of the iceberg of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ move to stay relevant in the championship hunt. With Blatt gone, there are speculations All-Star forward Kevin Love will be the next odd man out of Cleveland.
The Cavs made a shocking move midway through the season when they fired Blatt, despite him helping the team to a top seed spot in the East with a 30-11 record, and guiding Cleveland to the NBA Finals last year. The move came after the Cavs’ 115-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, but it was ultimately a decision considered after losing against elite teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors - teams that would probably play in the Finals if not for the Conference brackets.
While the Cavs, who are 0-3 against the Spurs and Warriors in the regular season, have not considered any trade moves yet, Blatt’s firing could be the start of the changes in the team’s roster. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, some Cavs players were surprised by the axing of Blatt that they speculated Love had been traded, pointing to speculations that the mercurial forward could really be in the trading block.
Love had been at lost in Blatt’s rotation, but what is worth taking note of is his lack of identity in the Cavs’ lineup. Gerald Bourguet of Sports Illustrated’s Fansided summed up exactly why Love could be heading elsewhere before the deadline.
“Love’s importance simply fades with Irving and LeBron sharing the floor, and even worse, he’s been borderline unplayable against the two teams Cleveland would be most likely to meet in the Finals: the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs,” Bourguet wrote.
As Bourguet noted, Love’s outputs have decreased ever since the Cavs put Kyrie Irving back in the lineup. Love was averaging 17.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on 43.4 percent shooting before Irving got back from a knee injury. His points substantially decreased to 13.0 points on 37.8 percent shooting when Irving started to light up the Cavs’ offense.
Following the Cavs’ lopsided loss to the Warriors, Windhorst noted in his story that Cleveland should utilise Love well for the team to finally win an NBA title.
“Love was the worst combination in the two losses -- a hole at the defensive end and an also-ran at the offensive end,” Windhorst argued. “In these high-profile games -- and the Christmas Day loss to the Warriors can be included -- Love has turned into a stain on the scouting report. The opposition attacks him when they have the ball and ignores him when they don't, treating him as if he were a replacement-level player.”
With all these in consideration, this may be the right time for the Cavs to trade Love for key players who could help contribute to the team’s success. Cleveland should probably look for a defensive wing, with Lebron James and Kyrie already manning the offense. In one of Bourguet’s trade scenarios for Love in case he becomes available, one deal that would suit the Cavs is trading him and Timofey Mozgov to the Boston Celtics for Avery Bradley, Amir Johnson, and Jae Crowder.
The trade scenario, which succeeds on ESPN’s trade machine, seems to be the perfect fit for both teams. The Cavs would get players who can contribute and defend at the small forward and centre position.
As for the Celtics, Love would be the superstar they have been looking for, along with Mozgov, who could give Boston frontcourt depth. Giving away Bradley would clear the Celtics’ backcourt logjam, but would probably create a stacked frontcourt unless the team moves David Lee before the deadline.
Cavs general manager Dave Griffin is known for making unexpected moves, as seen in the firing of Blatt. Unless new head coach Tyron Lue has the magic to suddenly turn the Cavs into their old form, Cleveland would likely consider trading Love or Mozgov for valuable assets.
