LeBron to CLE is horrible news for the C's

[blink]

For whatever it's worth:

Sam Amico @SamAmicoFSO
FYI: Again, Thursday afternoon, Cavs source told @FOXSportsOH: "Andrew Wiggins is not being traded."

I don't think it is 100% that Love gets traded to Clev.  It does seem like the Cavs have all the leverage in that situation though.  If Minn doesn't like our offer, and doesn't like the GSW's offer then what is pushing Clev to include Wiggins anyway?  What team is in there with something that Flip likes that raises Love's price?

I dunno, if I was Clev I would just play this year with Wiggins, low ball Flip for Love and see if he eventually blinks.  Flip obviously doesn't want the boston or gs deals as they exist now.  Flip will end up crashing and burning with Love going to free agency with nothing in return.  Then the Cavs are free just to add him as a free agent and keep wiggins.  That would be the real nail in the coffin for the rest of the east teams. 

[HomerSapien]

Too bad all of LBJ's best competition is in the West and therefore he only needs to get through one of them to be champion.

[celticsclay]

For whatever it's worth:

Sam Amico @SamAmicoFSO
FYI: Again, Thursday afternoon, Cavs source told @FOXSportsOH: "Andrew Wiggins is not being traded."

I don't think it is 100% that Love gets traded to Clev.  It does seem like the Cavs have all the leverage in that situation though.  If Minn doesn't like our offer, and doesn't like the GSW's offer then what is pushing Clev to include Wiggins anyway?  What team is in there with something that Flip likes that raises Love's price?

I dunno, if I was Clev I would just play this year with Wiggins, low ball Flip for Love and see if he eventually blinks.  Flip obviously doesn't want the boston or gs deals as they exist now.  Flip will end up crashing and burning with Love going to free agency with nothing in return.  Then the Cavs are free just to add him as a free agent and keep wiggins.  That would be the real nail in the coffin for the rest of the east teams.

The Cavs actually can't just add Love in free agency. They would have 54 million dollars committed to Wiggins, Lebron, Irving and Bennett alone going into next season. They would also have decisions to make on Waiters and Thompson. People don't seem to realize the main reason the heat have probably been broken up is because the new salary cap and luxury tax penalties makes fielding a team around a 3 max superstars really really difficult. If the Heat could have just added Gortat or Lowry for 12 million through some salary cap loophole, all those guys are still probably in miami.

[Quetzalcoatl]

On Hoopshype there are a lot of people saying Klay is categorically not going to be traded and now everyone is saying Wigggins won't be traded.  We have the best deal right now for Love and we might not even have to overpay.  Flip is somehow playing chess against himself while he is also playing checkers against himself. 

[LooseCannon]

On Hoopshype there are a lot of people saying Klay is categorically not going to be traded and now everyone is saying Wigggins won't be traded.  We have the best deal right now for Love and we might not even have to overpay.  Flip is somehow playing chess against himself while he is also playing checkers against himself.

Saunders isn't just going to take the best deal available.  He is legitimately willing to try and make the playoffs with Love on the roster.

[D.o.s.]

On Hoopshype there are a lot of people saying Klay is categorically not going to be traded and now everyone is saying Wigggins won't be traded.  We have the best deal right now for Love and we might not even have to overpay.  Flip is somehow playing chess against himself while he is also playing checkers against himself.

Saunders isn't just going to take the best deal available.  He is legitimately willing to try and make the playoffs with Love on the roster.

Yeah he's backed into a bit of a corner here -- especially if no one is offering a particularly compelling package in trade.

[blink]

For whatever it's worth:

Sam Amico @SamAmicoFSO
FYI: Again, Thursday afternoon, Cavs source told @FOXSportsOH: "Andrew Wiggins is not being traded."

I don't think it is 100% that Love gets traded to Clev.  It does seem like the Cavs have all the leverage in that situation though.  If Minn doesn't like our offer, and doesn't like the GSW's offer then what is pushing Clev to include Wiggins anyway?  What team is in there with something that Flip likes that raises Love's price?

I dunno, if I was Clev I would just play this year with Wiggins, low ball Flip for Love and see if he eventually blinks.  Flip obviously doesn't want the boston or gs deals as they exist now.  Flip will end up crashing and burning with Love going to free agency with nothing in return.  Then the Cavs are free just to add him as a free agent and keep wiggins.  That would be the real nail in the coffin for the rest of the east teams.

The Cavs actually can't just add Love in free agency. They would have 54 million dollars committed to Wiggins, Lebron, Irving and Bennett alone going into next season. They would also have decisions to make on Waiters and Thompson. People don't seem to realize the main reason the heat have probably been broken up is because the new salary cap and luxury tax penalties makes fielding a team around a 3 max superstars really really difficult. If the Heat could have just added Gortat or Lowry for 12 million through some salary cap loophole, all those guys are still probably in miami.

Yes you are absolutely right.  The Cavs would have to ship someone or multiple someones out to sign him in free agency.  My point was they could hang onto Wiggins if they went on that path.

[MBunge]

On Hoopshype there are a lot of people saying Klay is categorically not going to be traded and now everyone is saying Wigggins won't be traded.  We have the best deal right now for Love and we might not even have to overpay.  Flip is somehow playing chess against himself while he is also playing checkers against himself.

Saunders isn't just going to take the best deal available.  He is legitimately willing to try and make the playoffs with Love on the roster.

If the Cavs are willing to give up Wiggins, I'm pretty sure ownership will lean on Flip to take the deal.  Especially if Minny is 5 or more games out of 8th place in the West a week before the trading deadline.

If I'm Cleveland, though, I hold onto Wiggins and sign Gasol with their remaining cap space.  That would give them enough to be a title contender while still keeping all their young talent.  That allows them super flexibility to make future moves and gives LeBron a real shot at being on top long enough to challenge Jordan's 6 titles.  If they give away Wiggins and more to get Love,  the Cavs are quickly right where Miami was with 3 max guys and no ability to add any significant talent.

Mike

[crownontherocks]

Source: Cavs have told Wiggins he's not being traded. TWolves want Wiggins. Cavs will try 2 do it w/out losing Wiggins. Must find 3rd team

Chris boussard

Sam amico i believe said the same thing


I just dont know how they can land love without wiggins, if they some how land love with out giving wiggins, would be unreal

GS still says klay is not on the market

Danny really needs to think fast and move because i believe theres a short window the cavs or gs could chance there minds


Not expecting Dion Waiters to be a part of any KLove trade
Chris boussard

LoL no wiggins or waiters , danny really needs to move fast

[mmmmm]

Source: Cavs have told Wiggins he's not being traded. TWolves want Wiggins. Cavs will try 2 do it w/out losing Wiggins. Must find 3rd team

Chris boussard

Sam amico i believe said the same thing


I just dont know how they can land love without wiggins, if they some how land love with out giving wiggins, would be unreal

GS still says klay is not on the market

Danny really needs to think fast and move because i believe theres a short window the cavs or gs could chance there minds


Not expecting Dion Waiters to be a part of any KLove trade
Chris boussard

LoL no wiggins or waiters , danny really needs to move fast

I'm going to assume that Wiggins is still at play until they sign him.  And even then, that would just mean that puts trading him on hold for 30 days.

Now, they could go ahead and do that, to try to play out the bluff, since they know that the Celtics already signed Smart & Young so similarly have hold on to THEM for 30 days before they could think about including either.   Similarly, Thornton has to be held for that long before he could be used in a package for salary matching.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen.  The Cavs could go ahead and sign Wiggins and then they and BOS an whomever else spend the next 4 weeks trying to put together a package to convince Flip to move Love.

So, it is very possible that Love may not be traded for a few weeks.

[dreamgreen]

I'm confused?

Love makes about $16 mill a year, how does CLE send out that much money? Minny is over the cap or not? I just don't get how CLE can trade $8 mill for $16 mill?

On top of this now way in hell Minny is taking el busto Bennet, and CLE is not going to send Verajo, him and the Queen are BFFs!

What am I missing? How can CLE acquire Love?

[celticsclay]

There isn't really a reasonable offer the Cavs can make. The media likes the idea so they have run with it. If you look at the cap numbers it is really difficult to envision a deal that is not really stupid for one side. If the Cavs give up Wiggins (and matching salary pieces) that is pretty dumb.

If the Wolves take Bennett, Waiters/Thompson, Varejo and a late first rounder that doesn't make much sense either.

[Surferdad]

Cleveland has more than enough ammo to trade for Love and with that not only will the Cavs be elite for the next 4 years at least, the Celtics will have no one to pin their hope to for the next few years. They have to just tank it out the next couple years and hope for a superstar.

The basic flaw in this argument is that it doesn't matter where LeBron went, that team was going to be a title contender, and better than the C's could ever be. Going to Cleveland makes no difference whatsoever. C's have no chance until LeBron is out of the league or at least on a steep downslope of his career.

There is another flow in the OP's sentiment, and that is that if it was such a horrible thing for the C's then Ainge should not have facilitated it with the deal he made to help them clear cap space.

[td450]

Strange- the Cav's just unloaded Alonzo Gee. He's 3M worth of trade filler. So they are left with:

Verejao at $9.7M
Bennett at 5.6M
Thompson at 5.1M
Waiters at 4.1M

They also have other salaries adding up to about 3M

They will have to part with at least two of the guys above(or sign Wiggins and include him in the list in a month), and possibly some of the filler to make this work.

I don't see them moving Verejao, because otherwise they'd have no size. Don't see the other three being good enough, so the only option is Wiggins and one or more of the above. Is that enough?

[celticsclay]

Strange- the Cav's just unloaded Alonzo Gee. He's 3M worth of trade filler. So they are left with:

Verejao at $9.7M
Bennett at 5.6M
Thompson at 5.1M
Waiters at 4.1M

They also have other salaries adding up to about 3M

They will have to part with at least two of the guys above(or sign Wiggins and include him in the list in a month), and possibly some of the filler to make this work.

I don't see them moving Verejao, because otherwise they'd have no size. Don't see the other three being good enough, so the only option is Wiggins and one or more of the above. Is that enough?

The really short answer to this is that there is a reason the Cavs won 36 games or whatever last year with those players (and irving). Waiters, Thompson and Bennett are solid, but they certainly don't project to be stars. They also don't really classify as established veterans either. Bennett may have neutral to negative trade value at 6 million dollars right now based on his rookie season.