The Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement in principle to trade Kevin Love to theCleveland Cavaliers for No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
Our experts look at the expected Kevin Love blockbuster from Cleveland's perspective, and wonder what's next.
The trade cannot be finalized until Aug. 23 because draft picks cannot be traded until 30 days after signing a new contract. Wiggins signed a rookie contract on July 24.
According to Yahoo! Sports, which reported an agreement in principle between the teams earlier Thursday, Cleveland has committed to make the trade with a "firm agreement" that Love will re-sign with the Cavs next summer for five years and $120 million-plus after opting out of his contract. But such an arrangement would be a violation of NBA rules.
Sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Thursday that the Cavs and Love can make no such arrangements about the future, even verbally, without violating salary cap circumvention rules in the league's collective bargaining agreement. Love has made it widely known that he intends to opt out of his contract at season's end, wherever he is, to become a free agent in July 2015, but the circumvention rules state that any discussions between the Cavs and Love regarding any future contract cannot take place until Love becomes a free agent next summer.
ESPN.com has reported numerous times over the last month, since James committed to re-sign with his home-state Cavs, that Love has let it be known he wants to play alongside James and would be willing to make a long-term commitment to Cleveland as long as James is there. But Cleveland would be making this trade with no such guarantees, because James is under contract for only the next two seasons -- with the right to opt out and return to free agency next season -- and because Love is likely to take his cues on the length of his next deal with Cleveland based on what James does.
Sources have told ESPN.com that Love has been highly intrigued by the idea of playing alongside Olympic teammate LeBron James on a full-time basis and is not put off by the fact that James' contract with the Cavs spans only two seasons and includes a player option to return to free agency next summer.
The deal also will unite Love, James and Kyrie Irving as a new-look Big 3 in Cleveland and give the long-suffering sports town a realistic chance for its first title in 50 years.
