DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Mavericks are a team in desperate need of an upgrade in the frontcourt, and over the weekend, reports surfaced that they could be keeping an eye on a potential target to fill that void, in Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor was first to report the Mavs interest in the 32-year-old.
Cleveland is looking to clean house, with rumors of an Andre Drummond buyout, and now a Love trade, among a host of potential transactions revolving around the Cavaliers organization.
"A source with knowledge of the Mavericks' thinking suggested Kevin Love as a much better fit [than Andre Drummond] given the team's 3-point woes and desire to surround MVP candidate Luka Doncic with shooters," Fedor wrote in the report. "Love would also help boost Dallas' problematic defensive rebounding metrics. Still, the Mavericks have two appealing expiring contracts—Tim Hardaway Jr. ($18 million) and James Johnson ($16 million)—that would help facilitate a deal."
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The Mavs currently rank 25th in the NBA in three-point percentage (35-precent), despite shooting the ninth most threes in the league to date. Dallas also ranks 24th in rebounds per game at 42.9 rebounds per game, and 21st in rebound differential, getting out-rebounded by an average of 2.5 rebounds per night.
Love, who averaged 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, while hitting 37-percent from three last season, could help to solve both of those issues very quickly.
The rub here for Dallas would be with the money, where Love is set to make $31.2 million over the next three seasons. After only playing two games this season due to a calf injury, the oft-injured love also provides a risk -- A risk that Dallas could potentially absorb without giving up any substantial assets.
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With a pair of large expiring contracts in James Johnson and Tim Hardaway Jr., as well as some tradable veteran deals that could assist in a rebuild such as Dwight Powell or Maxi Kleber, Dallas is in unique position to take Love off of the Cavaliers hands.
The only question is whether or not the Mavericks choose to be aggressive at the deadline, and whether or not Cleveland can find a better deal for the 13-year veteran.