Wiggins for Love or Aldridge?

If the rumors are to be believed then the Cavs are seriously considering including #1 pick Andrew Wiggins in a deal for Kevin Love.

My question is if you were the Cavs who would make a better trade target Kevin Love or Lamarcus Aldridge?

Personally, I am torn here Lamarcus is older than Love and is not as efficient offensively as Love but he is more athletic and a better defensive fit. LA can stretch the court and if he can his mid range jumper with more consistency not being the first option he could certainly see his FG% rise to similar levels to those of Bosh. Love's added range and work in the paint make him arguably the best offensive player Lebron has ever played with.

However, Love is a mess defensively and has not shown an ability to make those around him better consistently. Furthermore, Love has not been able to stay healthy throughout his career and pairing him with someone like Irving who has struggled to maintain his health as well could be a disaster. On the other hand, LA has experienced a few dings of his own over the past few years and as he gets older the risk of injury is sure to rise.

Contract wise both players can be free agents this year, the main difference is Love has a player option giving the team control for 2 seasons, equal to the time the team has Lebron guaranteed for. Whereas LA could leave Cleveland high and dry this summer.

If I am Cleveland, I am going for Love. I hate the idea of giving up Wiggins and am scared to death of Love's injury history and terrible defense. However, his offensive ability and rebounding are among the leagues best and the ability to lock him up for an extra year makes the gamble a little easier to swallow. Furthermore, Love's age provides a better chance at longevity if the deal works out. Mostly, I am going for Love because it seems that he is guy Lebron wants on the team.

What do you do if you're running the Cavs?

I think that Love is available but LaMarcus is not, so go with Love.

If I was Cleveland, I wouldn't trade Wiggins.

magnifier661 said:

If I was Cleveland, I wouldn't trade Wiggins.

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This. I've already detailed my feelings on this in another thread.

magnifier661 said:

If I was Cleveland, I wouldn't trade Wiggins.

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I wouldn't either. Let it bake.....

PtldPlatypus said:

This. I've already detailed my feelings on this in another thread.

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Cleveland would be fucking insane to let the LBJ jr, learn from who he's supposed to be like. It's an opportunity of a lifetime

Pinwheel1 said:

I wouldn't either. Let it bake.....

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Let what bake? LeBron didn't go to Cleveland to let anything bake. He wants to win immediately and I'm sure Cleveland will do everything to make that happen now.

JFizzleRaider said:

Let what bake? LeBron didn't go to Cleveland to let anything bake. He wants to win immediately and I'm sure Cleveland will do everything to make that happen now.

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I disagree. If LBJ wanted to "win now", he would stay in Miami.

magnifier661 said:

I disagree. If LBJ wanted to "win now", he would stay in Miami.

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after getting ass whipped by the Spurs Lebron saw the likelihood of winning in Miami as not so good - that is why he left IMO

magnifier661 said:

I disagree. If LBJ wanted to "win now", he would stay in Miami.

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No. Irving is going to be more reliable than wade, and love will be his bosh with better role players already in Cleveland.

Mike miller wouldn't turn down more money for a let it bake process. They are going to compete this year.

If Wiggins were a great shooter, I would think about it. But right now in SL he looks like a better version of Rudy Gay coming out of college. Amazing athleticism, but crazy raw on offense.

JFizzleRaider said:

Let what bake? LeBron didn't go to Cleveland to let anything bake. He wants to win immediately and I'm sure Cleveland will do everything to make that happen now.

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There were a lot of other options for LeBron if winning immediately was his main objective. Setting up a a "dynasty" in Cleveland seems like a smarter goal. I think Wiggins gives Cleveland more versatility, especially since LeBron can log minutes at PF as well as SF. I think the smart long term move would be to keep Wiggins.

craigehlo said:

If Wiggins were a great shooter, I would think about it. But right now in SL he looks like a better version of Rudy Gay coming out of college. Amazing athleticism, but crazy raw on offense.

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Gay played no defense. This kid already is a better defender than Gay

JFizzleRaider said:

No. Irving is going to be more reliable than wade, and love will be his bosh with better role players already in Cleveland.

Mike miller wouldn't turn down more money for a let it bake process. They are going to compete this year.

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They are going to compete, but I don't think LeBron is demanding that they do so, or mandating moves for big names like Love. IMO, with Kyrie already there, bringing in a third big-time scorer will result in diminishing returns on both Love and Irving; that is to say, they will be less productive overall than people will be expecting, similar to the way Bosh's stats took a hit, as did Lebron's in year 1.

As a trio, the "big three" never averaged 71 ppg combined. There's an upper limit to how much 3 teammates can score. Lebron/Kyrie/Waiters will likely put up 65 combined, without bringing in Love. All trading for him will do will take points away from other players, while sacrificing the defense and long-term growth that Wiggins provides.

magnifier661 said:

I disagree. If LBJ wanted to "win now", he would stay in Miami.

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Two year contract, I believe? He wants to win now. Miami wasn't getting it done.

BBert said:

Two year contract, I believe? He wants to win now. Miami wasn't getting it done.

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Two year contract is so he can re-up with a bigger max after the salary cap jumps when the NBA strikes a new TV deal.

If I were Cleveland, I'd trade Wiggins. Yes, Wiggins may turn out to be very good. (But he's about as much "the next LeBron James" as Harold Miner was the next Jordan.) He may even turn out to be better than Love. (I happen to think that wouldn't be all that hard.) But you've got LeBron James. That was your huge piece of luck. Now you make the most out of that. You can keep planning for the future or you can win a championship now. Boston were laughed at for trading a high draft pick for an already over-the-hill Ray Allen, but that was the first step in making them relevant for the first time in years. Who cares if you're really good but not quite good enough for a long period? Better to burn out than to fade away. Imagine if Detroit had traded the pick that became Darko for a really solid player, a top 15 in the NBA player (and Darko was a pick in a much better draft). They could've won three.

Besides, I want to see Wiggins running alongside Ricky Rubio. Talk about Lob City.

Cavs should offer up Wiggins IF they can get Love. Aldridge is not in this picture at all and wouldn't be the same fit with Cavs.

Irving - Waiters - LJ - Love - Varejao makes a very very good lineup. One that can go deep in the East IMO.

Wiggins, although a very good draftee, and prospect, isn't ready for NBA playoff basketball this year or next - in the same way that Love would be.
For me, it's a no-brainer, you make the trade if you can.

One more point: people are acting like keeping Wiggins is the safe option, like he's a sure thing. There is no such thing as a sure thing. You're gambling whatever you do. Gamble with the side that LeBron wants, and that turns you into a championship contender RIGHT NOW.

Harry's Raincoat said:

Wiggins, although a very good draftee, and prospect, isn't ready for NBA playoff basketball this year or next - in the same way that Love would be.

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We don't have any idea if Love would be "ready for playoff basketball"--he's never seen it.

Rastapopoulos said:

If I were Cleveland, I'd trade Wiggins. Yes, Wiggins may turn out to be very good. (But he's about as much "the next LeBron James" as Harold Miner was the next Jordan.) He may even turn out to be better than Love. (I happen to think that wouldn't be all that hard.) But you've got LeBron James. That was your huge piece of luck. Now you make the most out of that. You can keep planning for the future or you can win a championship now. Boston were laughed at for trading a high draft pick for an already over-the-hill Ray Allen, but that was the first step in making them relevant for the first time in years. Who cares if you're really good but not quite good enough for a long period? Better to burn out than to fade away. Imagine if Detroit had traded the pick that became Darko for a really solid player, a top 15 in the NBA player (and Darko was a pick in a much better draft). They could've won three.

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Or if they made the smart pick and took Wade or Bosh they could have won more as well.

Rastapopoulos said:

One more point: people are acting like keeping Wiggins is the safe option, like he's a sure thing. There is no such thing as a sure thing. You're gambling whatever you do. Gamble with the side that LeBron wants, and that turns you into a championship contender RIGHT NOW.

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This part is true. If Lebron is asking for Love, then give him the love. But if he doesn't care, go with Wiggins.

cmeese47 said:

Or if they made the smart pick and took Wade or Bosh they could have won more as well.

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Who knows if they'll be saying about Cleveland "if they'd made the smart pick and took Embiid or Exum"... in a couple of years.

PtldPlatypus said:

Two year contract is so he can re-up with a bigger max after the salary cap jumps when the NBA strikes a new TV deal.

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It's all about the Franklins.

Question is does the price for Love go up or down at the trade deadline? If they can get Love for cheaper or the same price it would certainly be worth it to see how much progress a guy like Wiggins can make during the first half of the season with regular playing time and Lebron to learn from.

Rastapopoulos said:

Who knows if they'll be saying about Cleveland "if they'd made the smart pick and took Embiid or Exum"... in a couple of years.

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That is certainly possible although I must admit I would be shocked to see Wiggins turn into a bust. I still think he will be very good even if Exum, Parker or Embiid end up better, which is a lot different then Darko who was garbage the whole time.

If Love were willing to sign a contract extension as a pre-condition to the trade, I'd move Wiggins for Love. Love is only 25 himself and monstrously productive offensively. His defense would be lacking, certainly, but he would mesh perfectly with James and Irving on offense. If the team can put solid defenders at center and shooting guard, to go with James' great defense, I wouldn't be hugely concerned about Love's defense.

Love will be in his prime for as long as James is and would open the contention window immediately, not wasting a moment of James' prime. I like Wiggins a lot, but I don't consider him a James/Durant type prospect and I don't think he'll be a top-flight player, or even a top defender, from day 1.

I can understand holding onto Wiggins...I don't consider this a no-brainer decision either to make the deal or not to, but I'd personally make the move.

I'd very likely move Wiggins for love. I think part of the problem is getting salaries to match, and who Cleveland has to add in on top of that

RR7 said:

I'd very likely move Wiggins for love. I think part of the problem is getting salaries to match, and who Cleveland has to add in on top of that

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That would be my issue the Cavs have some pretty good depth but including in 2 or 3 pieces plus Wiggins really hurts that. At least in any deal with Portland they could throw in future picks to try and buy someone like Matthews to pair with LA in the deal, not much talent in Minnesota the can do that with unless they can somehow get Pekovic and then you make that deal in a heartbeat.