NBA Trade Window: 3 players the Thunder should give up to sign Kevin Love

Over the last week, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked with a trade for 5-time All-Star Kevin Love. The Cleveland Cavaliers man is currently recovering from injury and has only played four times so far this season. The 30-year old center is a proven superstar, who played an instrumental role in Cavs' 2016 NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors.

Just days after LeBron James left for the Los Angles Lakers last summer, Love agreed on a new four-year, $120 million extension with the Cavs. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers disastrous start to the season has encouraged the franchise to look towards a complete rebuild, and at the age of 30, Love seems to be one of the players that the Cavs are open to moving on.

This means that the Thunder now have an opportunity to acquire a third All-Star, however, Love will not come cheap, and here we will look at three of the individuals that OKC may have to give up in order to complete a trade.

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#3 Nerlens Noel

Oklahoma City Thunder v New Orleans Pelicans

Last summer, Nerlens Noel completed a surprise move to the OKC Thunder, after leaving the Dallas Mavericks. The center made the decision to seek a fresh challenge after injuries resulted in Noel playing just 52 times during his two seasons in Dallas.

Despite his previous performances for the Sixers and Mavericks, Noel is signed to a deal worth just $1,757,429, and Noel has a player option on a similar deal for the 19/20 season.

This is exactly the sort of contract that the Cavs are currently interested in acquiring, and Noel could even turn out to be a longtime option for Cleveland. On the Thunder side, the team will no longer require Noel if Love signs with the team, so it makes sense to include the 24-year-old in the deal.

#2 Hamidou Diallo

Sacramento Kings v Oklahoma City Thunder

While the Thunder will need to send a number of their high earners to Cleveland as part of the trade, the Cavs are sure to ask for one of OKC's most promising players. Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo are the Cavs' two options, and Diallo, in particular, has shown early flashes of quality during his debut season.

After playing just a year of college basketball for the University of Kentucky, Diallo was drafted by the Nets with the 45th pick of the 2019 draft, and the 20-year-old eventually landed on the Thunder roster. Nevertheless, Diallo has forced his way into the Thunder's rotation and the shooting guard is currently averaging 4.7 points in 12.2 minutes per game.

Diallo has been noted for his athletism and energy at both ends of the court, and the Cavs would be wise to ask for the youngster as part of the trade.

#1 Dennis Schroder

Oklahoma City Thunder v Denver Nuggets

After making an excellent start to life in Oklahoma City, Thunder will be reluctant to let Dennis Schroder leave the franchise, however, the inclusion of the German playmaker is the only realistic way to make a trade work.

Thunders will be unwilling to include other high earners such as Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams, and Schroder is currently the fourth highest earner on the team, earning $15.5 million per season until 2021.

Nevertheless, while the Thunder are able to replace Schroder with veteran point guard Raymond Felton, it is hard to see how Schroder would fit in Cleveland.

Rookie, Collin Sexton is the Cavs current starting guard, and the franchise wants their latest draft pick to play a major part in their future. With this in mind, a trade between the Cavs and Thunder is only likely to happen if Cleveland are desperate to trade away Kevin Love.