2Day's 2 Cents: Kevin Love, meet Captain Obvious

August 5, 2014 at 4:47AM
FILE - In this July 11, 2014, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, dunks against the Milwaukee Bucks during an NBA summer league basketball in Las Vegas. Wiggins will sign his rookie contract with the Cavaliers, an agreement that would prevent any potential trade involving the small forward from being completed for 30 days, a person familiar with the negotiations says. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Top overall pick Andrew Wiggins just wants to be loved. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The long-discussed trade of Wolves star Kevin Love to the Cavaliers for No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, last year's No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and other assets is not official. It can't be made official until Aug. 23 — which is 30 days after Wiggins signed his rookie contract, per NBA rules. But when you add up all the clues, it leads to a near-certainty that, pending something stupid happening, this will go down in a few weeks. To refresh your memory, here are those clues:

Clue

What it might mean

What it makes us believe

July 2: It becomes public that Love has pulled out of the celebrity softball game in conjunction with the All-Star Game at Target Field.

Love, knowing he will be traded, doesn't want the public backlash from Minnesota fans.

That a Love trade was increasingly becoming an inevitability.

July 11: LeBron James announces his return to Cleveland in a letter on SI.com. In it, he mentions several Cavs players by name … but not Andrew Wiggins or Anthony Bennett.

LeBron, knowing both players were on the way out, didn't want to make it seem like they would be teammates for long.

That a trade involving Wiggins and Bennett was increasingly becoming an inevitability.

July 26: It is announced that Love is backing out of a commitment to play for Team USA in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

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Love, not wanting to risk an injury that would derail a trade — look what happened to Paul George on Friday — played it safe.

That a Love trade to was increasingly becoming an inevitability.

Thursday: ESPN reported the Cavaliers were the only team the Wolves were dealing with in a trade scenario for Love.

Things were moving along and we could finally stop talking about Golden State's lame offer.

That a Love trade to Cleveland for Wiggins and Bennett was increasingly becoming an inevitability.

Saturday: Word spread that Wiggins Cavaliers jerseys were no longer for sale via NBA.com.

The NBA, not wanting fans to be stuck with jerseys for a guy who wasn't going to be on a team for long, saved them the trouble.

That a Love trade to Cleveland for Wiggins and Bennett was increasingly becoming an inevitability.

Sunday: Wiggins gave an awkward ESPN interview in which he said, "I just want to play for a team that wants me," while the Pioneer Press quoted Wolves owner Glen Taylor as saying a Love trade was "likely."

Both Wiggins and Taylor were stating the obvious without fully saying it.

That a Love trade to Cleveland for Wiggins and Bennett is inevitable.

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