Nuggets are making a play for Kevin Love
By Eric Meyer
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Breaking news from multiple sources say that the Denver Nuggets are one of three teams that are actively and aggressively pursuing trade options with the Minnesota Timberwolves for All Star Forward Kevin Love. According to the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett, the Timberwolves are more inclined to seriously consider offers made by the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors than the package the Celtics have presented already. The Nuggets definitely have the assets to send to Minnesota in any package they might offer. They have a number of good NBA caliber players on the roster that could help with the Salary Cap implications and they hold the 11th pick in the year’s draft along with the possibility of swapping picks with the Knicks again next year to sweeten the deal.
The one snag in any deal the Nuggets might want to make for Love is that he may not want to be in another “Flyover” city and wants to take his wares to one of the coasts to improve his brand. If that is the case, then the Nuggets should not pursue these trade options unless Love agrees to sign his long-term max contract with Denver with the intention of staying in the Mile High City. I really like Love’s game and I think if the right package could be put together where it doesn’t gut the Nuggets roster, I would be all for going after him if they can get assurance that he will sign here long term. I find it very hard to fathom that a player of Love’s caliber would want to sign long term with the Nuggets because they are not LA or New York. But maybe this is the time when the Nuggets are no longer a flyover city and get the star they need to build around.
If the Nuggets do pull off this blockbuster, who would Kevin Love recruit to Denver to make his “Big 3”? Intriguing to think about isn’t it? Let me know what you think of this possibility in the comments and throw out some trade ideas to bring Kevin Love to Denver.