Kevin Love makes absolutely no sense for the Brooklyn Nets via trade

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The Brooklyn Nets are looking to add some depth in their frontcourt and one name recently floated is Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love.

Love, who is a five-time All-Star, won an NBA title alongside Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving in 2016. He was also teammates with Nets stars James Harden and Kevin Durant on Team USA when they won an Olympic gold medal in 2012.

He might make sense if you are building a roster for your fantasy basketball team. But in real life, it is hard to imagine any scenario where Love ends up on the Nets through trade. Maybe if the Cavs buy him out and he becomes a free agent, but a swap is incredibly unlikely.

Within the constraints of the collective bargaining agreement, the Nets need to match Love’s salary ($31.2 million) to acquire him from Cleveland. They also cannot trade Joe Harris until March 3, 2021 based on the contract that he signed this offseason. They’re also not going to trade any one of their core pieces in Durant, Irving or Harden.

I’ll just say the Nets probably are interested in Kevin Love. But financially it’s very hard to make it work. They can absorb McGee with their new extension instead if they really wanted to. — Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) January 25, 2021

That means that in order to bring Love to Brooklyn, they would need to send a package that included DeAndre Jordan (who is incredibly close with Irving and Durant, plays the position that Brooklyn desperately needs right now), Spencer Dinwiddie (who is out for the season, which may hurt his value), Landry Shamet as well as either Bruce Brown or Nic Claxton.

That would give them 10 players, after the recent addition of Norvel Pelle, on their roster. They would then have two weeks to sign four more players, and while there are some free agents who could fit in their rotation, such a transaction would make a roster that lacks depth and familiarity with one another even thinner.

Even if they decided that such a drastic reshuffling of the deck would be worth it, this a team in win-now mode. Love is currently dealing with a calf strain and has played just two games so far this season.

Steve Nash laments Nets’ subpar defense: “We’re not a defensive roster.” https://t.co/oTxaRM3733 — USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) January 23, 2021

Ultimately, Brooklyn needs a defensive specialist who can help with their rim protection. That is where the Nets have struggled the most since acquiring Harden in their recent blockbuster deal, which caused head coach Steve Nash to say that they don’t have a “defensive roster” right now.

Love, who has recorded at least 0.6 blocks per game just one time in his NBA career and that was his rookie year in 2008-09, is simply not that guy.

Due to the injury that Dinwiddie suffered earlier this season, Brooklyn will receive a disabled player exception worth $5.7 million. The Nets could use that as part of a package to land veteran big men like JaVale McGee, Ed Davis, Nerlens Noel or Bismack Biyombo.

Don’t be surprised if one of the names mentioned above ends up on the Nets as they continue to build out their championship-contending roster. But don’t take the thought of Love in Brooklyn too seriously, either, as such a trade is nearly impossible to configure.

NBA fans react to Kevin Love to the Nets trade rumor

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The Nets just completed a blockbuster trade to acquire James Harden and assemble a new Big 3 in Brooklyn – and according to a new report, the organization may not be finished in the trade market.

According to Jason Dumas, a reporter for KRON 4 News in San Francisco, the Nets are “in discussions” with the Cleveland Cavaliers about a trade for center JaVale McGee – but are also interested in five-time All-Star Kevin Love.

Love has missed extended time this season with a calf injury. His contract situation would make a deal with the Nets difficult, if not impossible. Love is in year two of a four-year, $120 million deal with the Cavs, and is set to earn $31 million in each of the next two seasons. With no draft capital left following the Harden trade, the Nets would likely have to offer their top role players in this hypothetical trade scenario, leaving them tremendously top-heavy and even weaker on the defensive end.

The Cavaliers will look to flip a number of their bigs for draft capital. Andre Drummond & Kevin Love could both be moved, per source. I’m told Jarrett Allen is off the table. — Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) January 25, 2021

Could the Nets seriously be considering a deal for Love? NBA fans sounded off on a potential Love trade on Twitter.

NBA Rumors: Nets Interested In Trading For Kevin Love

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Even after pulling off a blockbuster trade for James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets are dreaming big.

According to Jason Dumas, a reporter for KRON 4 News in San Francisco, the Nets are considering a number of players to acquire via trade, including 5x All-Star, Kevin Love.

SOURCE: The Brooklyn Nets are in active discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire JaVale McGee. Also have interest in Kevin Love — Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) January 25, 2021

The idea of the Nets acquiring Love to create a “big four” is pretty insane, and fans have been going crazy about it online. Still, the financial difficulties of pulling something like that off hasn’t been lost…

Yes, the Nets may be interested in Kevin Love, but money-wise, that’s not going to work. Point blank. — Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 25, 2021

If the Nets were to pull it off, it would require them to give up almost the entirety of their remaining depth, including guys like Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Landry Shamet, and others. They might also be able to make it work by finding a third or fourth team to include in the trade.

Will the Nets be willing to gut their roster for a 32-year-old stretch four?

That much remains to be seen, but we can’t rule out anything at this point…