Kevin Love Rumors: Boston Celtics Reportedly Have Best Offer

Kevin Love is currently the most coveted piece of trade bait in the NBA – and as it turns out, the Boston Celtics may have the best lures that money can buy.

I already alluded to this in my my morning Daily Dish, but reports are surfacing that Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunder is starting to see the writing on the wall when it comes to what the Celtics can offer for Love’s services:

Follow the link in that Tweet, and you’ll be taken to a report by Dan Feldman over at NBC Sports, who points out the following:

"Not long ago, a report emerged the Bulls had made a better Love offer than the Celtics. Since, the Rockets have fallen out of the bidding and Boston has reportedly moved up the ladder.Chad Ford of ESPN:I continue to get strong signals that the Celtics are trying hard to use pick No. 6 and 17 along with future No. 1s and young players such as Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk to persuade the Minnesota Timberwolves to trade them Kevin Love. One source close to the Wolves said that while Flip Saunders does not want to trade Love, he realizes the team likely will lose him this summer and the package the Celtics are offering is probably the best he’s going to get."

So the tides have turned, and now Boston has the best shot at prying Love out of Saunders’ hands?

Not so fast.

First of all, you and I both know that the Minnesota Timberwolves do not want to give up Kevin Love, but if they do, it won’t be for cheap.  The T-Wolves front office will try to squeeze as much value out of whichever team winds up securing their All-Star, so reports such as these simply cause other teams to up the ante – right, Chicago?

Second, look what it would reportedly take for Boston to grab Love: both first-round picks in this year’s draft; at least one future first-round pick, possibly more; and a young player such as Jared Sullinger or Kelly Olynyk (and let’s face it, Sullinger is the better “replacement” for Love of the two).

Folks, that’s a king’s ransom.

I really hope Danny Ainge would not give up so much for Love – not with two first-round picks in a draft that has so many possibilities.  Honestly, the more I think about it, I am excited about seeing Aaron Gordon out of Arizona playing for the Celtics.  I feel he has limitless potential, and will be the sort of lock-down defender the Celtics will need once they return to the playoffs.  I’m not saying he is as good as Kevin Love . . . yet.  What I am saying is that, with so many teams vying for Love’s love, the Boston Celtics should seriously consider whether trading for him would be a case of one step forward, three steps back.