Several years ago, the Warriors reportedly decided against trading Klay Thompson for Kevin Love, who was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves at the time. Hindsight is 20/20, but safe to say Golden State remains happy with its choice.
While Love has been an All-Star and NBA champion in his own right, Thompson was an essential element of the Warriors' dynasty and will remain a huge part of their core moving forward.
But what if Golden State had been able to acquire Love without having to give up Thompson? Surely that would have been more palatable, as long as Steph Curry didn't take Thompson's place in the deal. Of course, chances are, Minnesota wouldn't have found the hypothetical counteroffer acceptable.
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That was then. This is now.
Thompson has spent most of the last year rehabbing from a torn ACL. Love has spent most of the last two years as the marquee player on a cellar-dwelling Cleveland Cavaliers team, and it sure looked like his patience was wearing thin in the months before the current season was indefinitely paused due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Cavs went 19-63 last season and are stuck at 19-46 -- last place in the Eastern Conference -- as things currently stand. Surely, Love wouldn't mind a change of scenery.
Golden State was the only team with a worse record than Cleveland when the season was paused, but the Dubs' future is considerably brighter. Not only do the Warriors still have an enviable core of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, they also have a collection of assets that, if utilized correctly, could return the team to title contention in short order. Chief among those assets is Andrew Wiggins, who likely will either become the fourth member of Golden State's new 'Big Four' or be shipped elsewhere for someone who will.
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Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes doesn't seem overly confident in the former outcome, and suggests Love might be the one to target for the latter.
"Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are basically guaranteed to make Andrew Wiggins look good," Hughes wrote in a column suggesting trades to form new "Big Threes," "but why not swap out the 2014 No.1 overall pick for someone who can return the favor?
"Kevin Love, 31, could give the Warriors the facilitating, floor-stretching big they've never really had. He'd command attention at all times, allowing Curry and Thompson to zip around off the ball. Would any team have a better 4-5 passing tandem than Love and Draymond Green?
"Also, if Green is going to play more center next season anyway, it makes sense to slot him alongside a 4 who can stripe it from deep. Imagine the Dubs in a five-out set that doesn't really surrender much size or rebounding. It'd be the best of both worlds. As an added bonus, Love could punish switching defenses by taking smaller matchups to the post, where he's a gifted foul-drawer and passer."
Hughes paints a good picture of what Love could bring to the Warriors' table. In an offense that is predicated on ball movement, Love's passing ability would fit right in and you can never have enough shooting.
However, there are also several reasons why Love wouldn't necessarily be a good fit -- or at least not as good as Wiggins.
For one, Love is more than six years older than Wiggins. The Warriors got old fast, and the current season has been about getting younger. They want players that can not only help maximize the current championship window with Curry, Thompson and Green, but also ones who could theoretically carry the torch after it closes. The trade for Wiggins -- and D'Angelo Russell before that -- was made with that in mind. Love would qualify for the former, but definitely not the latter.
Additionally, Wiggins plays a more valuable position in the modern NBA. While he has yet to live up to his vast potential, there is no question that he is of prototypical size for a modern wing. Those are few and far in between.
"Our coaching staff is very excited about Andrew and how he may fit here going forward," Warriors owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic last week. "Very hard -- it's so hard -- to find wings right now in the NBA with good positional size and athleticism."
Golden State found one, and it seems unlikely that the Warriors would part with Wiggins unless they were getting another wing player in return. Not only is Love incapable of playing the wing, but he would likely take away playing time from some of the Dubs' promising young big men like Eric Paschall and Marquese Chriss. Again, two guys who would appear to be a part of Golden State's present and future.
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From a financial standpoint, a Wiggins-Love trade definitely would be feasible. They have nearly identical average salaries, and both have three more seasons beyond the current one remaining on their contracts. Wiggins will have just turned 28 at the end of that deal, still firmly in his prime. Love, on the other hand, will be nearly 35 years old.
We know what Love is and what he is likely to contribute over the life of his current contract. We can't say the same for Wiggins, but that's precisely why he was available to Golden State in the first place. Swapping Wiggins for Love might improve the Warriors in the short term, but that would seem to be a short-sighted move. If Wiggins doesn't pan out as they hope, they'll still be able to recoup something of significant value for him for a few years to come.
And if Wiggins does pan out? Well, then Golden State wouldn't really need to make a move to form another "big three" -- or "big four," for that matter. They could also aim higher than Love, too.