In the latest edition of NBA trade rumors, we discuss the possibility of Kevin Love being traded away from the Cavaliers and the possibility of Marc Gasol being traded to the Celtics. First, we discuss Love and how his trade situation centers on where Carmelo Anthony winds up.
Anthony seems almost certain to play the 2017-18 NBA season with either the Knicks or Rockets. Carmelo and his camp believe a trade to the Rockets could come as soon as early next week. But this buzz could simply increase the likelihood that a third team jumps into the NBA trade fray.
We saw this type of thing transpire twice this past summer, as Oklahoma City was not on anyone’s radar for a Paul George trade and the Celtics were not mentioned much when it came to a potential trade landing spot for Kyrie Irving.
It’s clear that the Knicks want to get a deal done ASAP, so this may just be posturing (yes, the Knicks are actually doing smart NBA front office things like posturing!). They would love for another team to jump into the mix at the last minute in order to drive up the price for Carmelo – or maybe they would actually look at dealing him to a spot other than Houston if the price is right.
The trade that has forever made the most sense is a Kevin Love for Carmelo swap, but Carmelo apparently would not waive his no trade in order to go to Cleveland. If that’s not a clear indicator that LeBron James is not going to re-up in The Land, I don’t know what is.
If the Cavs get off to a rocky start in 2017-18, which is entirely possible with Isaiah Thomas unlikely to play the first month or two of the season, Cleveland could look to move Love. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported last week that the Cavs have “contemplated trading Love off and on” for months, and three weeks ago ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote the following:
“The addition of [Jae] Crowder also could make Love expendable, allowing Cleveland to dangle either the All-Star stretch forward, the Brooklyn pick – or both – on the market in February to make a push to revamp the roster before the postseason.”
It’s highly unlikely that the Cavs would deal away the Brooklyn pick as it serves as some sort of LeBron insurance for the future of the franchise. If anything, a Love move ahead of the deadline could signal a total rebuild – with the Cavs looking for future picks and young players.
Marc Gasol to Celtics?
CBS Sports’ Matt Moore wrote the following regarding Marc Gasol and a potential trade to the Celtics two weeks ago:
“The Memphis Grizzlies consider All-Star center Marc Gasol “untouchable” and have refused to enter his name in any trade conversations, two sources close to the situation told CBS Sports this week … The Boston Celtics are most often the team identified as a potential suitor for Gasol, but notably, those reports have indicated interest from the Boston side, not from parties aligned with the Grizzlies or Gasol himself.”
Money-wise, the Celtics could only make a Gasol trade work one of two ways: the first is to trade both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (along with several other contracts); the second is to trade Al Horford.
The first option will surely make Celtics fans cringe even just looking at it on paper as Tatum and Brown both have the potential to be sure-fire NBA All-Stars. The Celtics bench is already weak, and flipping multiple players for one player would not be a wise move for Danny Ainge.
The second option would be a mostly lateral move. Both players have three years left on their contracts (Gasol makes $5 million less) and are roughly the same age (Horford is 31, Gasol is 32). The Grizzlies would have little incentive to make this sort of trade unless they were given a draft pick in return. From the Celtics’ perspective, it’s unlikely that the upgrade from Horford to Gasol (if you can even call it an upgrade), is worth relinquishing a pick.
In other words, unless something drastic happens Gasol is staying put in Memphis.
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