The Cleveland Cavaliers take another step towards acquiring Kevin Love. They have traded Carrick Felix, a second-round draft pick, and $1 million in cash to the Utah Jazz for John Lucas, Malcolm Thomas, and Erik Murphy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Cavaliers get three non-guaranteed contracts from this deal. Earlier it was reported by Yahoo! Sports that Cleveland is looking for additional players they can use in a trade for Kevin Love. Therefore, it means that Lucas, Thomas, and Murphy will all be used as trade assets.
The original offer on the table for Love from the Cavs includes 2014 first-round pick Andrew Wiggins, 2013 first-round pick Anthony Bennett, and a future first-round draft pick. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been asking for additional pieces.
Besides Kevin Love, the Wolves will most likely attach Kevin Martin to the deal. Hence the reason the Cavaliers are in need of more trading chips to make a deal work. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves also want to send J.J. Barea in any potential deal.
Once again, both teams can agree to the framework of a deal, but they cannot make it official until Andrew Wiggins signs his rookie contract and 30 days have passed upon his signing.
If a trade is made, Minnesota is expected to waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Lucas, Thomas, and Murphy.
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers, who are clear cut front-runners for Kevin Love, have put themselves closer to acquiring the six-year veteran.