Reports have recently surfaced around the NBA regarding a potential Kevin Love for DeMarcus Cousins trade. After the recent firing of David Blatt, this might make sense for a seemingly impatient Cleveland Cavaliers organization. However, this deal with the Sacramento Kings seems like an unnecessary move that would most likely move the Cavaliers further from their ultimate goal.
For one, Love provides Cleveland with spacing, something that does not necessarily translate knowing Cousins’ skillset. Love has shot a consistent 37.0 percent from behind the arc on 5.8 attempts per game over his last three seasons. Although Cousins has extended his range to 3-point territory this season, he is still only attempting 3.5 3-pointers per game. Given the small sample size, it is yet to be seen if he can continue to demonstrate adequate shooting from deep over an entire season.
The difference in shooting prowess becomes even more apparent when looking at both of these players in spot-up situations this year. Via NBA.com/Stats, Love has spotted up 22.8 percent of the time with the Cavaliers this season. In these situations, he has produced 1.01 points per possession, a number that is better than 66 percent of the league with greater than 100 spot up chances. Cousins, on the other hand, is not as comfortable in this situation. He has spotted up 17.1 percent of the time with the Kings this year, while producing .91 points per possession. This is only good for the 46th percentile in the NBA, making it a clear discrepancy between these two players.
Furthermore, any trade hypothetical must take into account the changing roles of every player switching teams. To gain insight into how Cousins’ role would change from Sacramento to Cleveland, it is necessary to take a look at how much Love is presently used on offense. This season, Love is attempting 12.7 shots per game, and it is fair to say that Cousins would average approximately that same number in wine and gold. This would be a dramatic shift for Cousins, who is shooting 20.3 shots per game this season in Sacramento.
Even more concerning for Cousins would be the massive decrease in usage percentage that would come with the Cavaliers. This season, Cousins leads the league in usage at 35.5 percent. On the other hand, Love comes in at only 23.1 percent.
Although many will say that winning can cure this potential pitfall, Cousins is a different animal. Knowing such prominent drops in both shot attempts and usage percentage are sure to come, a tantrum in an already flimsy Cleveland locker room is inevitable in this situation. For a team that made the NBA Finals last year, this risk just seems like too big.
Of course, the Cavaliers have yet to find a way to maximize Love’s potential on offense, and changing his role to better fit his needs would be a better (and less risky) option for Cleveland. Love is still used in the pick and roll too much and fails to get enough opportunities to showcase his skills with his back to the basket. He needs to play more with the second unit and less with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Fortunately, newly crowned head coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged some of these problems and will hopefully tackle them in the upcoming weeks.
In the end, Cousins is probably a better option than Love for a team looking for a first option. However, Love is the better third option, and his fit with this Cleveland team is much better. Ultimately, the risk outweighs the reward for the Cavaliers in this potential Love for Cousins megadeal.
