This trade was just too good for Cleveland to pass up, especially when you consider that this trio can be viable for quite some time.
Here's Dan Feldman of :
The entire reason I believed potential trade partners should get Love to opt in was, besides guaranteeing an extra year of the star player, Love would be signaling a desire to stay long-term. But this is another way, though less binding, of Love showing that intent.
Regardless, the upside for Cleveland is so high.
Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are going to rule the East. That s so much talent and production, and their dominance will likely begin immediately. If it takes a year for everyone to jell, as it did for LeBron in , so be it. That core is young enough to contend for years as long as Love follows through with staying.
The acquisition of Love does change things quite a bit for the Cavs. Instead of remaining patient and creating cap space to sign a star free agent outright during the 2015 offseason, the Cavs won't burn a year of LeBron's career.
While Wiggins and Bennett both have the potential to be great, that probably wasn't going to materialize this year. Love, on the other hand, is one of the most productive players in the league. Instead of bringing along the young guys and biding time, there's no reason why Cleveland shouldn't act the way a title favorite would.
But what does that entail? We could see a few moves to round out the roster that are all about winning now.
I heard weeks ago that Ray Allen will join Cavs if they get Kevin Love. We'll see....
Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard)
Here's with more on Cleveland's next decisions:
Free-agent forward Shawn Marion is leaning toward signing a deal to join LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Marion, 36, has yet to formally agree with the Cavaliers on a deal, but that could come soon, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Signing guys like Ray Allen and Shawn Marion is a pretty clear indicator that you're looking to win right away, and Cleveland absolutely should be. Although the only remaining cap assets for this year are veteran's minimum deals, players that are hunting for rings will likely happily accept that to play with such an elite core group.