Forget Kevin Love, Cavaliers Should Sign and Keep Andrew Wiggins

Forgive the Cleveland Cavaliers for getting a little ahead of themselves – after all they just lured the best basketball player in the world back to Ohio. So you can understand why they might want to go all in and strike while the iron’s hot in the hunt for an NBA championship.

That’s why it shouldn’t have been surprising to anyone when rumors began circulation that the Cavs were looking to trade No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota in exchange for perennial All-Star Kevin Love.

The proposed deal does make sense for both teams. The Cavs would get another superstar to play alongside James and Kyrie Irving, which would make them a legitimate contender in the East (if they aren’t already). The Timberwolves would get one of the most highly-touted prospects the NBA has seen since LeBron James and a legitimate draw to rebuild their franchise around.

Still, if Cleveland wants to be a consistent contender, team management is better off waiting for Wiggins to develop instead of pulling the trigger on a deal before he’s even played a regular season game.

At this point, nobody knows how good Wiggins can be. With his size and athleticism, there’s a good chance Wiggins will contribute in his first season. Alongside James and Irving, Wiggins’ game will grow at both ends of the court. Plus, when you add Anthony Bennett, 2013’s No. 1 pick who’s looking to prove his doubters wrong, you have the makings of a team that has tremendous upside.

However, not everyone sees this rumored trade the same way. Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski went on record earlier this week saying he “wouldn’t hesitate” trading Wiggins if he could land Love.

“You look at LeBron, and you have the best player in the world. He’s 29, I’m not saying he’s at the end of his career, but he’s in the second-half of his career. And in the first half of his career he was becoming a great player. It took time, just like with Andrew Wiggins, it takes time. LeBron is a great player right now, you do not want to waste any year of a great player’s career. Love is close to being that. He’s not as great a player as LeBron, but he’s there. You know who Love is right now.”

When LeBron James decided to sign with the Cavaliers, they went from the middle of the pack in NBA 2015 Championship odds to the favorite at +284. The San Antonio Spurs are well back as +408 second-favorites.