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Miami Heat: 3 reasons to make a Kevin Love trade

By Brandon Johnson

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 28: Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk after the game on November 28, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 28: Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talk after the game on November 28, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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He’s Just a Good Dude

During Wade’s brief stint in Cleveland last season, he called out everyone’s favorite punching bag, Love. Missing time to illness, reports surfaced that Wade gave question to the severity of Love’s absence.

Instead of blowing up at the allegations, Love acted on his namesake. He turned the other cheek.

"“If there was a lot of friction, I didn’t see it,” Love said. “I know guys were pissed when we were losing during the time that it happened … I know a lot of guys were upset with the way things were going. I felt like when we were winning, we were rolling, you always see it.”"

Though Wade was eventually traded, those feelings of animosity toward Love never resurfaced en route to Cleveland’s Finals run.

It would later surface that Love suffered from an illness that never showed on the nightly report. It was mental.

Eventually, Love became something of the NBA’s spokesman (alongside DeMar DeRozan) for mental health. In an TV spot that ran at the regular season’s end, Love spoke of the difficulty of walking with an invisible illness.

If ever there was a teammate every squad needed, irrespective of talent, it’s Love.

Basketball is a brotherhood and building around level headed individuals is as important as unearthing players as passionate as the fiery Russell Westbrook.

For the Heat, picking up Love carries a weight greater than his contract. As Miami navigates the development of its young core, Love would stand as a champion of professionalism and humanity, that gets devalued in the nightly box score.

Next: Miami Heat: Signing Carmelo Anthony is still a bad idea

Love has shouldered a lot in his 10 years. Joining Miami’s unit could be the cherry on top, in more ways than one.

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