Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young’s name has been attached to the Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins trade since the initial rumors. With the 30-day moratorium that’s prevented Wiggins from being traded until Saturday, the Sixers have emerged as legitimate suitors in the deal.
The Love for Wiggins trade has been anticipated for weeks. While a verbal deal has been made, the exact details were always open to change. As a third team giving up the last veteran asset on the roster, the Sixers seem to be going all in with their intentions to tank for the second year in a row under GM Sam Hinkie.
Minnesota, on the other hand, will likely receive a core of young players in addition to picks in exchange for Love going to Cleveland. While their chances of being a serious threat in the Western Conference were slim to none even with Love, the team seems to be keeping a competitive front regardless. Acquiring Young may be risky since he can opt out of his contract after this season, but one can assume they’ll at least attempt to keep the veteran player in Minnesota.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves — either as part of a separate transaction with Philadelphia or by expanding their planned deal with the Cavaliers into a three-team trade — are already operating under the premise that they are acquiring Young from the Sixers as Love’s replacement.
The Wolves, sources said, have already verbally agreed to acquire Wiggins, 2013’s No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and a future first-round pick from the Cavs for Love. Minnesota would then have the option of flipping that first-rounder to Philadelphia, along with Mbah A Moute and Shved, for Young.
The Sixers tried to get Bennett as part of the Young transaction, sources said, but Minnesota was determined to keep the second-year forward to be a key piece in its rebuilding effort despite Bennett’s disappointing rookie season as a Cav.
Stein has updated his report, saying the teams are trying to complete a three-team deal rather than separate deals:
Source close to K-Love talks says Cavs/Wolves/Sixers are planning three-team trade as opposed to separate deals … barring any late tweaks
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 22, 2014
The mega-trade can technically go down as soon as Saturday hits:
I’m told Andrew Wiggins becomes eligible to be traded at 12:01 AM Saturday … in other words as soon as the calendar flips to Aug. 23
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 22, 2014
Maya Moore Wins Her First WNBA MVP Award
Minnesota Lynx All-Star forward Maya Moore was crowned the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player for 2014. This marks the first time she has won the award. At only the age of 25 it is very possible that she will win many more in the years to come.
Moore led the WNBA in scoring with 23.9 points per game average. She also averaged 8.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
Now that she has attained the highest individual honor in her respective league, Moore is set to lead her team to the WNBA Finals. The Lynx are currently up 1-0 in their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Stars. The organization has two championships already, and a third would certainly add to the growing list of accomplishments that Moore has been building.
Per Ashley Atwell of WNBA.com:
“The trophy is always my first priority. I wanted to make sure I was doing my job for my teammates and somehow that ended up with me getting the MVP,” said the forward who had the chance to win it in front of her friends and family.
This trail of championships just doesn’t happen overnight, however. She worked hard to get here and Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve knows that.
“It’s not a coincidence that where Maya Moore is there’s championships.”
Moore was the first pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft and was lucky enough to win a championship in her rookie season. But back then she was learning – having been surrounded by top talent in Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson. Now, she’s emerging as the leader of a talented Lynx team that became only the second team in WNBA Playoffs history to grab a 7-0 sweep in postseason play since 2006, when the current playoffs format was established.
Other news around the league:
NBA Commisioner Adam Silver was on hand to answer questions before Team USA’s exhibition win against the Dominican Republic Wednesday night. When asked about the impact of international play, Silver gave a notable response. Per Chris Strauss of USA Today Sports: “There is a big risk without enormous financial reward, but I’m sitting next to our highest ranking military official, so I’m almost embarrassed to be talking about the risks that our players face as compared to what our men and women in uniform face and only reiterate it’s a personal decision for these players,” Silver said. “It’s not just U.S. players we’re referring to. Probably collectively we have close to 50 players participating in this World Cup on behalf of their national teams. “So from an NBA standpoint, we have to look across all nationalities, not just on behalf of the U.S. team, but ultimately there is risk.”
Stephen Curry is in favor of the NBA adopting an NFL-style challenge flag in the NBA. According to the Washington Post: “Obviously refs are human and they miss calls,” he Curry said at a roundtable discussion called “NBA 2K15 Unsensored” on Tuesday. “To be able to make sure they got the right one — maybe give the coach a little flag like they do in football and he gets two or three challenges a game to make sure they get the right call, especially in pivotal situations.”
In an interview with The Antenna at the world renowned Rucker Park, Shaquille O’Neal shared his thoughts on the Kobe vs. LeBron debate, both of whom he has played on teams with: “They’re different. LeBron is more of an all-around player — Hey this guy’s open, let me kick it to him. Kobe is more of, Oh, we’re down six? I’m going to shoot it three times and get us six points. But they’re both great players. It’s a matter of opinion. To me, Dr. J was the greatest player ever. But I ask other people, they say Jordan, some say Kobe, some people say LeBron. It’s always going to be a matter of opinion.”
Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez claims he has lost at least 15 pounds as he prepares for the upcoming NBA season. Per the New York Post: Lopez, who arrived at training camp last fall weighing around 290 pounds before playing at a weight several pounds lighter, looked noticeably thinner while participating in a youth healthy lifestyle clinic at Barclays Center on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m at my playing weight,” Lopez said with a laugh. “I can attribute that to laying in bed for months, but I’m back to the weight that’s normal for me. Last I checked, I was just under 275 [pounds].”
Esau Howard is a regular contributor to Sheridan Hoops. You can follow him on Twitter.