Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson played major roles for the Cleveland Cavaliers when the team was a title contender.
While those days are now in the past, the two big men would both like to compete for a title in the future.
According to a recent report, both players would welcome trades out of Cleveland if it meant landing on a title contender.
“Sources close to both players said that, yes, they would like to play for a team with a chance to win another title as they reach the later stages of their careers,” The Athletic’s Joe Vardon wrote. “So they would, essentially, welcome trades out of Cleveland if something like that came up. But don’t read too much into it. It’s not so simple, and at any rate, they have neither asked out nor are they playing as if they want out.”
At 31 years old, Love is likely at the tail end of his prime even though he is posting All-Star numbers this season (18.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game). The 29-year old Thompson is off to a career year, posting nightly averages of 14.9 points and 10.5 boards a contest.
It’s highly conceivable that a team with championship aspirations would consider one or the other. It’s not quite that simple, however, as Vardon explained.
“When Love is mentioned as a potential trade piece, what is often discounted is the relative lack of market for him due to his injury history and the size and length of his contract,” Vardon wrote. “He missed more than 50 games to toe surgery last season and had missed at least 20 games the last three years because of injuries. There is also the matter of general manager Koby Altman telling Cleveland.com recently that he has no interest in trading Love.”
A similar predicament may be awaiting Thompson, one of the key players on the Cavs’ 2016 championship team.
“Thompson, meanwhile, is in the final year of a five-year, $82 million deal,” Vardon added. “With an expiring contract, in most seasons Thompson would be an attractive trade piece to contenders looking for an active big man and also to organizations looking to clear cap space for free agency.
“But, league executives said, this is not a normal season in that regard. Trade chatter is way down, one general manager said, because of a less-than-attractive free-agent class in 2020 (of which Thompson is a member).”
So far this season, Love and Thompson have both happily served as veteran leaders for a young Cavs team. While their desires to play for a title contender is certainly understandable, it also appears that both are content in leading the charge in Cleveland as well.
Nevertheless, both players would be valuable to teams looking to get over the hump. Only time will tell if a team takes a chance on either of them this season or sometime in the near future.
