Miami Heat: 3 reasons to make a Kevin Love trade

Kevin Love could be the perfect fit for the Miami Heat.

As quickly as Nike hoisted their LeBron James ‘Cleveland’ Banner in 2014, it was removed. No longer adorning the façade of a Sherwin Williams facility, the banner’s removal carried with it a weight greater than it’s 2,600-pound frame.

Its fall signaled the end of a monarchy – House James, Cleveland, first of his name. The Cavaliers lost the most identifiable piece of their identity and logic would suggest that more of Cleveland’s roster would follow.

However, Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has expressed his intent for the 2018-19 season: Cleveland isn’t tanking, at least not on purpose. Their clientele is a group that was rarely greater than the sum of its parts, adjusted only by the coefficient that was James.

Trade talks have been limited in Cleveland. The Land is neither a free agent destination nor interested in making an all-for-nothing swap. Their most marketable player, however, Kevin Love, has poked his head into the rumor mill, potentially finding a team that could best use his services.

For the Miami Heat, who’ve stonewalled this summer’s Twitter-sphere with minimal roster moves, Love could be the big break. On the books for $50 million over the next two years, buying into Love’s future could be a smart move.

Financially, it’d take a bundle worth both Love’s weight in dollars and buckets.

A Goran Dragic–Josh Richardson tandem works in theory, while providing the Cavaliers with the assurance that the box score wouldn’t look drastically different without Love.

Conversationally, Miami would need to smooth talk their way past Altman, who is unwilling to move Love for anything less than his requisite value.

In exchange for Love’s near guaranteed production, the loss of Richardson and Dragic gives Miami the flexiblility to dive into player development while maintaining competitiveness. The Heat have a crop of young talent sprouting through the Las Vegas Summer League right now. None can totally replace Dragic or Richardson, but the discount would provide future salary cap wiggle room in exchange.

What then, would Love look like on the Heat? Keeping the current core together is by and far the safest and most responsible choice, but if team president Pat Riley wanted to bite, what is expected of Love in South Beach?

Salt-n-Pepper

When Love took a seat in the NBA designated black fold-up chair for picture day in September 2017, he was sporting a particularly… distinguished look.

https://twitter.com/lospollostv/status/912400149971746816?lang=en

Gone was the buzz cut of his Minnesota days or the curly locks of his title run in 2016. Love rocked a noticeably gray ‘do, fitting of a Men’s Warehouse ad or a virility commercial.

As shocking as the look was, it was symbolic. In 10 seasons in the association, Love has transitioned from a solo star for the Minnesota Timberwolves to a third option for the Cavaliers.

Despite the internet hate he seems to accrue, Love’s production (barring bouts with injury) has been a point of consistency. Effectively a guaranteed 20 and 10 producer, Love’s game has aged as maturely as his hair.

An inside-out player at his core, Love’s post work took a downturn in Cleveland. He shot just 246 at the rim in 2017-18, compared to 359 in his final Timberwolves season. Finding himself in Miami would speak to his renewed faith in the 3-ball while allowing flexiblility to bully in the paint on an as needed basis.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra notoriously loves positionless basketball.

He ran an undersized, fluid lineup in the James years and continues to do so now, much to the chagrin of Hassan Whiteside. Love would give Spolestra the option to embrace five-out sets, sprinkling shooters around the horn while breaking down defenses.

Sliding out from high screens is a simple enough move – Olynyk does it often enough already. Having Love in Miami’s offense could solve Miami’s tempestuous relationship with scoring droughts (looking at you, third quarter).

As an added bonus, if Love stays in Miami long term, his game would age well, like a 30-plus-year-old Luke Babbitt. But with more gray.

But speaking of Olynyk…

Good Morning, Mr. Love

A huge part of Miami’s basketball philosophy mirrors the fluidity of their positional system.

Up and down the lineup, Spoelstra values leaders. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem stand as the most easily identifiable beacons, but names from James Johnson to Bam Adebayo have had the chance to showcase their leadership traits.

Love quite simply fits this mold. As a prototype for the modern stretch-four – a power forward with a comfortable, floor spacing outside game – Love could be the best tutor for Miami’s bigs.

Adebayo has flirted with adding ball-handling to his repertoire, evidenced by his willingness to push the floor in Summer League. Olynyk has done similar, pairing his slo-mo post moves with Miami’s second highest 3-point percentage.

As an NBA title holder, Love’s resume fits Miami’s job description. He’s well-adjusted to the rigors of playing with the most demanding player of all time.

Love has already held himself accountable, buying into Cleveland’s vision for success. He’s remodeled himself from the No. 1 option (in fact, the only option) into a reliable accomplice.

Instead with Miami, he’d be holding the youth accountable, professing Miami’s trademark player development from the best vantage point.

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.