Trade doesn't hurt Kevin Love's potential too much
Though the move to Cleveland and a stacked Cavaliers roster should make life considerably easier for Kevin Love, should Fantasy owners be moving him down their draft boards a bit after Thursday's news?
Love carried a huge load for the Timberwolves last season, logging 36 minutes per game and finishing the season second in Fantasy scoring overall. He averaged a career-high 26.1 points and 4.4 assists per game, while adding 12.5 rebounds, but will now have to adjust to life as a second or even third option offensively.
With LeBron James and Kyrie Irving already on hand, Love is almost certainly going to take on a smaller scoring role. He attempted 18.5 field goals per game a year ago, which actually led this trio a year ago. However, he is also much more reliant on his teammates setting him up than the other two, so he should have the ball in his hands a little less by default.
Even if Love takes three fewer shots per game next season, there is little reason to drop him too much for Fantasy purposes. With his three-point range and offensive rebounding skills, Love still promises to be one of the most efficient scorers in the league. Even after adjusting his projection to reflect his new reality, Love is still projected for 23.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game next season.
Love likely won't be one of the three most productive Fantasy options in the league again next season, but there is no question he is still a slam dunk first-round pick. He shouldn't go much later than 8th overall on Draft Day.
