Come August 23, Andrew Wiggins is Minnesota bound. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Timberwolves and Cavs have reached a “handshake agreement” that will see Kevin Love traded to Cleveland for a package of players including the 2014 No. 1 pick.
Fellow Canadian and first-overall pick, Anthony Bennett, could also be included in the trade, reportedly as part of a three-team deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that would land veteran forward Thaddeus Young on the Timberwolves, but details remain hazy.
Why? Because all of this could change in the next 18 days.
Any deal involving Wiggins can’t be made official until Aug. 23 due to a rule that forbids players from being traded within 30 days of signing a new contract. So, as Windhorst puts it, “the deal is done, but not done. The teams have agreed, but they can’t say they have agreed and they can’t agree because we are in this weird moratorium period.”
With many teams interested in Love—the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors being the second- and third-most rumoured destinations behind Cleveland—it’s possible that a deal more attractive to Minnesota could be tabled before Wiggins is eligible to move. But for now, “essentially what you need to know if you’re an NBA fan,” says Windhorst, “Kevin Love’s going to be on the Cavs, barring anything unforeseen, and Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1-overall pick, is going to be in Minnesota.”