Should the Detroit Pistons make a play for Kevin Love?

Kevin Love may be the odd man out in Cleveland. Should the Detroit Pistons try to make a move for the offensive-minded big man?

For the second NBA finals in a row, Kevin Love appears to be a liability for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After missing last season’s finals and most of the playoffs, his presence on the floor has seemed to provide the Golden State Warriors with a green light on offense and he hasn’t provided much punch on the offensive side of the floor himself.

For a team like the Cavaliers that have championship aspirations, there is only one hill left to climb. For the second straight year, that’s the mighty Warriors. While Love is in a Cavalier uniform and the Warriors are who they are, that hill may be impossible for the Cavs to scale.

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The Cavaliers are a team that fired their head coach with a 30-11 record after leading them to the NBA finals a season ago, so they’re very willing to make a big move quickly if they think it’s what is required. That may be where the Detroit Pistons come into play.

While the Cavs have revealed that there may be a ceiling with Kevin Love in the lineup, that ceiling is being perhaps the second-best team in the NBA, and definitely the best team in the Eastern Conference. That ceiling isn’t a consideration for the Pistons, considering the fact that even a top-four seed in the East next year would be a pretty nice step in the right direction.

So if Kevin Love is on the market, what might the Cavaliers demand in exchange from their divisional opponents?

And better question..does love become a guy that the Pistons would be interested in...say for expiring contract KCP? https://t.co/bmkB8oqPbX
— Braden Shackelford (@Shack_attack03) June 9, 2016

As Braden notes, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has an expiring rookie deal coming up after next season. While expiring contracts don’t mean much in this new salary cap world we’re about to enter–although the Cavs’ luxury tax concerns may actually come into play–there is some value in KCP’s contract.

First off, the Cavaliers would have matching rights on KCP, as he’s going to become a restricted free agent when his contract is up. He’ll be cheaper than Love, even when re-signed to a contract that is no longer rookie scale. He’s also a solid wing stopper who has given guys like Stephen Curry, James Harden and Dwyane Wade fits on the perimeter.

Needless to say, somebody who can hassle and harry Steph Curry would be a huge asset to the Cavs, much moreso than for the Pistons.

Conversely, the Pistons are sorely in need of a scoring big man who can shoot from the outside and stretch the floor. The Pistons have been trying to find such a player since the beginning of president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy’s regime began two years ago, and Anthony Tolliver and Ersan Ilyasova are the best they’ve been able to come up with.

Love would be a massive upgrade over both.

He has the ability to be a number one scoring option, scoring over 26 points per game in his last two healthy seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011-12 and 2013-14. He’s also a monster on the glass, averaging 15.2, 13.3, 14 and 12.5 rebounds per game in his last four seasons in Minnesota. While he hasn’t clicked in Cleveland, the Pistons (and just about every team in the NBA) could definitely use a guy who has the capacity to average 26 points and 14 rebounds per game.

So the Pistons have something the Cavs need, and the Cavs have something the Pistons need. Is KCP for Love straight up something that both teams will find reasonable?

In my opinion, it is not. The Pistons will almost certainly have to part with their first round draft pick, and the Cavs may want more as well. If they try to get Stanley Johnson in the deal, the deal doesn’t happen. But KCP and an 18th overall draft pick may not be enough.

What do you think? Should the Pistons try to make this happen? How much is too much to give up for Love? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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