Friday morning notes: Love to Warriors rumors and more…

Apr 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love (42) controls a rebound against Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) with center Gorgui Dieng (5) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-120. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, everyone. The middle of this week was ripe with Kevin Love rumors; first it was Bill Simmons and others reporting that the Celtics were the front-runners, then suddenly Denver was in the mix, and yesterday Mychal Thompson went on the radio on the West Coast and started spouting off that his son, Klay, was all but en route to Minneapolis as part of a trade package for Love.

Of course, it’s all speculation at this point, and with each alleged offer that is leaked, Love’s actual trade value and the Wolves’ leverage should inch upwards.

Things got so crazy on Thursday that Chris Broussard of ESPN began flinging trade rumors into the Twittersphere that are literally impossible under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Yes, Broussard. The Wolves are dying to hand over not just Kevin Love, but their lone first round draft pick in exchange for an average, soon-to-be expensive wing player and a severely overpriced, aging power forward. The Denver trade is actually more palatable, but as I mentioned a few days ago (prior to the ‘mystery team’ reveal of the Nuggets), both Danilo Gallinari and Faried would have to be included in any trade. And I highly doubt they’ll pony all of that up for Love, who allegedly has not said he’d sign an extension in Denver. As far as the Golden State rumors go, it’s clear what is happening here. Talks are ongoing and fluid, and as player names are bandied about in conversation back-and-forth, one side’s latest offer is leaked to the media. No, the Warriors haven’t completely caved on including Thompson in any Love trade. And when Flip Saunders asked for Thompson, Golden State clearly countered by saying that they would need the Wolves’ draft pick. The trade as reported by Broussard is absurd if you’re a Wolves fan. And for the Warriors fans…come on. The gnashing of teeth over the thought of trading an average-at-best shooting guard is, quite frankly, embarrassing and the worst possible case of beauty in the eye of the beholder. Thompson is not a star. He’s barely a league-average starter at his position. Sure, he’s young(ish). He’s improved each year. But he’s also looking to be paid a ridiculous amount of money next summer, and the Wolves would be signing up to a) pony up for an average player or b) lose the key to the trade. If it’s Option A, yikes. If it’s Option B, JUST KEEP KEVIN LOVE. Turns out, he’s some where between four and one thousand times better as a player than Thompson, and if they’re both gone in a year, keep the better of the two. I’m terrified that Saunders will cave to Golden State, and the Warriors and their fans will get to live out the Love-Stephen Curry pick-and-pop duo that Wolves fans were robbed of by David Kahn and his infatuation for Jonny Flynn‘s smile and ability to play six overtimes in a college game. If the Wolves must agree to a deal with Golden State, here’s what they should get in return. For the record, I prefer the Denver offer linked above and what the Chicago Bulls could offer to anything that the Warriors could patch together. I’d probably consider a Thompson/Draymond Green offer from the Warriors before the Celtics offer, however, if for no other reason than I’m afraid that Saunders would draft Adrean Payne, James Young, and Rodney Hood if given multiple first round picks. Let’s not panic about potential Love “offers” that are floated by the overeager national media. Nothing will happen until next Wednesday or Thursday, and I still wouldn’t put it past Flip to hang onto Love even through the draft on Thursday night. We’ll post any legitimate rumors here at DWW, and we’ll also soldier on with potential Kevin Love trade offers for the latter half of the NBA.