The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to signing Andrew Wiggins in the coming week, while Kevin Love remains in sight of the Eastern Conference franchise, according to ESPN.
The number one overall draft pick, Wiggins, is playing in the summer league without any contract but the Cavaliers are expected to sign him on a $5.5 million deal this week.
The Cavaliers have a long-standing interest in Love, while the Minnesota Timberwolves want Wiggins, which fueled speculations that Minnesota will trade their power forward on a part-exchange deal to Cavs.
However, it is unlikely to happen, if Cleveland is looking to land Love just now, as the NBA rules clearly states that a rookie cannot be traded for 30 days after signing a contract.
Cleveland can work out a deal with the Timberwolves in the next 30 days after signing Wiggins this week. Otherwise, there is a risk that other teams, such as the Boston Celtics or the Golden State Warriors will acquire Love, as they are also interested in signing the 25-year-old.
The Warriors were close to landing Love in a trade after several weeks of negotiations, but the deal broke down as Golden State were unwilling to let go of Klay Thompson.
However, they were looking to send Harrison Barnes and David Lee for Love, who averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds for Minnesota in the regular season.
The Cavaliers are also considering offering a long-term contract from their remaining salary-cap space to second-round picks Dwight Powell and Joe Harris.
Mike Miller, who is also expected to sign an official two-year contract worth $5.6 million with Cleveland, is also confident of the Cavaliers signing veteran Ray Allen. "We got James Jones, now we're moving Miami to northeast Ohio," Miller told to ESPN radio.
Free agent Allen said that he will either play with former teammate LeBron James at Cleveland or retire. However, Allen will only get a $1.4 million minimum contract from the Cavaliers.
Cavs have recently reunited with the four-time NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) James on a deal reported to be around $88 million and finalised a $90 million four-year contract extension with Kyrie Irving.
"This whole free-agent period has been a whirlwind, so many rumours, so many guys with inside sources," Irving said. "Until it happens and I get a call from our GM... other than that, I haven't considered it."
