Kevin Love is firmly on the trading block in Minnesota, thanks to his stated unwillingness to re-sign with the Timberwolves once his contract is up at the conclusion of next season.
The team would obviously like to get as much in return for Love as possible, but can only realistically trade with teams where Love would be willing to commit to staying long term.
[MORE: Cavs still in mix for Kevin Love]
Golden State got close, but wouldn’t part with Klay Thompson, and the Cavaliers, now with LeBron James in place, remain a possibility. But the Bulls are making a late push to see if they can somehow end up winners in the Kevin Love sweepstakes.
From Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com:The Cleveland Cavaliers are firmly in the lead to acquire Kevin Love but the Chicago Bulls are making a renewed push to get into the trade mix for the All-Star power forward, according to sources close to the process. ...
Sources say that the Bulls, though, have this re-entered the race and would appear to be the biggest threat to the Cavs, thanks largely to the Golden State Warriors’ resolute unwillingness to add longtime Wolves target Klay Thompson in a deal.
Although the full extent of the Bulls’ offer wasn’t immediately known, it is believed Minnesota would seek a package from Chicago featuring forward Taj Gibson and defensive ace Jimmy Butler in addition to other assets. The Bulls shelved their Love interest while trying to sign Carmelo Anthony away from the New York Knicks but, according to sources, have re-emerged as a contender.
Interesting choice for Minnesota here, although Gibson and Butler -- while both being excellent rotation players -- aren’t exactly going to drive ticket sales anytime soon.
The Timberwolves would rather not start over with a complete rebuild if they don’t have to, which is why the preferred deal was the one with Golden State that would potentially have returned guys like Thompson and David Lee, both of whom could immediately help produce wins in the upcoming season.
[MORE: Coach K would trade Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love with ‘not one second of hesitancy']
But if starting from scratch is the only option, Minnesota could do far worse than to land Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a future first round pick -- which is why the Cavaliers, at this point, remain the leaders in the clubhouse to get a deal done to retain Love’s services.