Summer of (Kevin) Love Is Almost Over

Wizards v/s Timberwolves 03/05/11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turn on almost any form of media, and you're likely to encounter the latest scuttlebutt on where Kevin Love will be playing in the next NBA season.  Next to the return of LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers, this is all anyone's talking about.

Love has one more season on his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves before he enters free agency.  After years of never making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, Love now wants to find out what life is like on a real NBA team.

So the Wolves have been shopping Love around, with the team's president of basketball operations (and also coach) Flip Saunders holding out for a player or two who might make a deal worthwhile.  The parade has so far gone through Boston, Chicago, Phoenix and Golden State.  Then James made his decision to come home, which made the choice a bit clearer.

The latest batch of media reports tell us that a Wolves-Cavs deal is imminent.  According to those reports, Love goes to Cleveland for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Williams and next year's top draft pick.  The thing is, nothing is official until August 23 because the Cavs had just signed Wiggins to a contract and, under NBA rules, no deal can be made for thirty days. 

Whether the trade goes through or not (and if it does, it'll be the worst-kept secret in sports), the summer of Kevin Love should be winding down.  Everyone knows Love doesn't want to play in Minnesota any more, and the Wolves have done everything possible to get what they could for him before he could walk away, leaving them holding the bag.

So if Kevin Love wants to trade in one cold city for another in search of a championship, that's his business.  When it finally happens, we'll all be looking for the next disgruntled athlete seeking greener pastures.