Report: Warriors still won't include Klay Thompson in Kevin Love deal
Despite potentially stiff competition from the Cavaliers, Golden State has no plans to offer Klay Thompson to Minnesota.
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The Golden State Warriors still will not include Klay Thompson in any offers for Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Love, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
This is a fluid situation, but... NBA source says GSWs still haven't/won't put Klay Thompson into their offer to Minnesota for Kevin Love.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 11, 2014
Second NBA source: The Warriors have no plans to offer Klay Thompson to Minnesota, even if CLE comes in aggressively for Kevin Love.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 11, 2014
Multiple sources indicate that Steve Kerr wants to coach this roster the way it is, especially Klay Thompson paired with Curry.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 11, 2014
But again, these are negotiations and the Warriors want to remain in the Love discussions. Things can change.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 11, 2014
The story, as reported, has been pretty simple. The Wolves like Thompson, and the Warriors like Thompson. The Warriors would like to add arguably the best power forward in the league to their roster, but they will not be able to acquire arguably the best power forward in the league without surrendering Thompson. So, negotiations have been at a standstill.
The fact that LeBron James has chosen to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers changes things because of this:
With LeBron in Cleveland, can confirm Kevin Love is open to being traded there, per league source.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) July 11, 2014
Without James, the Cavaliers had a potential trade chip that Minnesota would be interested in -- No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins -- but Love would not have committed to staying in Cleveland, so a deal would have been too risky. Now, if the Cavs decide they are willing to give up Wiggins, there's a pretty logical trade scenario at play. You'd think that might make Golden State up its offer. It appears that might not be the case.
It should be noted that the Mercury News noted repeatedly that this was a "fluid" situation, meaning the Warriors could at any time decide to change their minds, regardless of how highly Steve Kerr thinks of Thompson. If they're serious about getting Love and becoming title contenders, they should probably reconsider their position.
