In this trade idea, the Miami Heat send Hassan Whiteside to the Cleveland Cavaliers, in return for, All-Star Kevin Love.
The Cavaliers signed Love to a huge extension going into 2023 this past summer, as they hoped to keep some kind of consistency in the roster after LeBron James left in July. And while I don’t necessarily blame them for making that move, it will hurt them for the next few years.
Getting out of that long-term deal by upgrading Tristan Thompson to Whiteside, is a no-brainer. The Cavaliers have a solid, young team, that is looking to add to Colin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Alec Burks, and now Whiteside becoming a helpful addition.
As for Miami, this isn’t exactly the trade you want to see as Love will make so much money over the next 4-years, but to me, it is definitely better than having Whiteside. The goal for the Heat here is to start Love at the 4 next to Adebayo, spacing out the floor and getting more 3’s up at a fast rate.
Certainly Love isn’t the only option to make that happen, as Olynyk has been doing just fine in a Heat jersey as a stretch-four, but Love is one of the best stretch-fours in history, which immediately gives me the feeling of … why not?