The standoff continues. Minnesota wants a lot back in trading Kevin Love, other teams are balking at the price of throwing in an Andrew Wiggins or Klay Thompson type player.
If you think Minnesota is about to cave, well, you should see what Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in an interview on NBATV during the team’s Summer League game Wednesday (as transcribed by the Pioneer Press).
That would be a circus.
Minnesota is taking a page out of the Denver playbook when Carmelo Anthony was trying to force a trade to a preferred destination — wait until somebody caves. Look at it this way: the bad offers are still going to be there in February at the trade deadline, there’s no reason to rush and take one of those, wait for a good offer.
I’ll add this scenario: If I were the Warriors or Cavaliers and looking at giving up major assets like Thompson or Wiggins, I would only do that if Love opted in to the last year of his deal. Not sign an extension, but opt-in for one year so my team would have some security that this would not be a Dwight Howard/Lakers situation. Love could then be a free agent in 2016 (when the salary cap jumps with the new national television deal and a max player such as himself would make more money). At Summer League in Las Vegas there is a mixed buzz about whether Love would be willing to do that, but I would not take anybody’s word that they will re-sign, I would want the extra year guaranteed. If Love insists on becoming a free agent in the summer of 2015 the offers Minnesota gets will be smaller.
For Minnesota, with Love on the team the Timberwolves are a borderline playoff team even in the deep West. They will need Ricky Rubio to play like it’s a contract year, and they need Love and Nikola Pekovic and the rest to stay healthy. But this is a potentially good team.
Taylor may hold out hope of a Portland/LaMarcus Aldridge situation where the team gets hot, wins and he changes his mind about wanting out. Although, in this case it seems too late for that.
