1. The Los Angeles Lakers reunite Kevin Love with LeBron James
Kevin Love is definitely not the all-star player that he once was and his value is no longer that high. However, when you are in the position that the Los Angeles Lakers are in you have to take chances and this could be a potential chance that Rob Pelinka rolls the dice on.
Is it the best possible trade to make? Not at all. But the market for a Kuzma and KCP trade may not be as deep as Pelinka hopes. If Dennis Schroder is not interested in a sign-and-trade then there is not much else the Lakers could do.
That is it. It is just a two-for-one swap. The Cleveland Cavaliers would do this deal in a heartbeat as the main goal is to get Kevin Love’s contract off the books. It does not really matter who the Cavaliers are getting in return as long as they free up Love’s money.
Kuzma is a young piece that they would probably look to keep around and try and develop while KCP could just be flipped again at the deadline for a contender to get that second-round draft pick (at the very least) back.
Not many teams (if any) are going to be in the Love market so this deal could be in the Lakers’ back pocket as an emergency option if all else fails. Love, while not an all-star, can probably produce at a higher level when playing for a team that actually has something to play for.
He is only going to be 33 next season and the hope is that he can get the Lakers 15 and 10 every night and add a floor-stretching presence to the frontcourt. Anthony Davis does not like to play the five so Love can play the pseudo five with Davis still guarding the better of the two big men on the other team.
It would restrict the team financially next season as well so this would be a move that the Lakers would make if they think the title window is shrinking, which it very well could be.