Several trade scenarios involving Kevin Love were speculated before the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday, but the Minnesota Timberwolves eventually held on to their superstar forward.
But while Love stayed put in Minnesota after the recently-concluded draft, ESPN reported that the Timberwolves are still in talks with the Golden State Warriors about a possible trade in the coming weeks.
According to Marc Stein, talks stalled hours before Thursday night's draft, but the two teams are now discussing potential trade again. The two teams stopped talking before the draft since no 2014 pick was involved in their most recent discussion.
Sources indicated that the likelihood of the trade depends on the Warriors' willingness to part ways with sharp-shooting guard Klay Thompson, who is reportedly Minnesota's primary target.
The Warriors were reportedly willing to include Thompson in the deal along with David Lee in exchange for Love and Kevin Martin, but several Golden State executives are still against the idea of trading Thompson, who averaged a career-best 18.4 points last season.
"Hall of Fame consultant Jerry West and new Warriors coach Steve Kerr voiced opposition to surrendering both Thompson and a future first-round pick to the Timberwolves, along with former All-Star forward David Lee, for Love and Wolves guard Kevin Martin," Stein wrote.
The Warriors want a quick resolution since several teams are also expected to make a strong push to acquire Love in a trade, including the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics.
Previous reports suggested that the Nuggets are willing to give up Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, and a future draft pick in exchange for Love.
The Celtics, on the other hand, reportedly offered their No. 6 and No. 17 pick on Thursday's draft along with Jeff Green or Kelly Olynyk, but nothing materialized.
It should be noted that teams are expected to ask for an assurance or a long-term commitment from Love before agreeing to a trade because the 25-year-old forward will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The Cavaliers were previously mentioned as a likely landing spot for Love, but the former UCLA standout is reportedly not willing to play in Cleveland, which forced the Cavs to stop negotiating with Minnesota.
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