Cavaliers not considering trading Kevin Love – report

MANILA, Philippines – The Cleveland Cavaliers just won an NBA championship, and the plan is to keep the same core intact.

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the defending champions don’t plan on moving its starting big man Kevin Love.

“While there are no shortage of suitors who would take on Love’s contract, sources close to the Cavs say moving him is not even remotely a consideration,” he wrote.

Love, 27, averaged 16 points and 9.9 rebounds a game last season. In 2015, he re-signed with the Cavaliers and currently has 4 years remaining on his contract. For the 2016-2017 NBA season, he’s set to earn $19,689,000.

Love being discussed in trade talk is nothing new. His fit with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland hasn’t always been great, leading many to believe the team would be better off dealing him for more depth and versatility.

Such rumors increased when Cleveland made the NBA Finals in 2015 despite losing him in the first round of the playoffs and won Game 3 of this year’s finals against Golden State with him sidelined by a concussion. Love averaged only 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 6 games against the Warriors.

Still, the Cavs are coming off their first championship in franchise history and are in good position to return to the NBA Finals again next year. James has already signed a 3-year contract worth $100 million, and the team is working on bringing back JR Smith.

Talks of Love being dealt may return again if Cleveland struggles in the upcoming season, but for now, it seems like silence on that end. – Rappler.com