Patience is the name of the game for the Suns in Kevin Love sweepstakes
Jun 20, 2014, 2:16 AM | Updated: 3:34 am
The NBA offseason is in full swing, with the NBA Draft less than a week away and a number of teams looking to make improvements to their rosters.
For the Phoenix Suns, the biggest remaining question mark is whether or not they can execute a trade for Kevin Love.
The Suns have an embarrassment of riches including youth, draft picks and attractive veteran pieces to accomplish the feat, but it’s a matter of whether or not they can put together the most attractive deal for the Timberwolves while competing with other teams like the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, who reportedly have more attractive offers on the table.
Although Phoenix was certainly in the running for Love’s services around the first week of June, the Suns have apparently fallen out of favor for the Timberwolves.
Here’s a look at several of the rumors that have surfaced this week — none of which involve the Suns:
• The Warriors’ deal currently on the table, according to Yahoo’s Marc Spears, involves Kevin Martin and Klay Thompson in exchange for Love.
• ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported that the proposal also included David Lee in the Warriors’ deal as well as JJ Barea and the 13th pick.
• According to ESPN’s Chad Forde, the Celtics are ready to offer the sixth pick, 17th pick, future first round picks and either Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk for Love and are currently favorites.
• Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe also reported that an offer from the Chicago Bulls could involve Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler for Love and cited a league source who said that the Celtics offer wasn’t even in the top three for consideration.
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported that the Denver Nuggets are willing to give up Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Arron Afflalo from a would-be trade with the Orlando Magic.
No one seems to be entirely sure where Love might land, but several teams are prepared to make offers which is exactly how the Timberwolves want it. T-Wolves coach Flip Saunders wants to win now, according to Holmes’ report, so a deal involving Goran Dragic as the centerpiece and only proven player may simply not be enough to get it done.
If Love is off the table for the Suns, possible moves may include an improvement over P.J. Tucker at small forward or at backup point guard over Ish Smith. But for the moment, the buzzword around the Suns organization is patience.
