NBA Trade News: Denver Nuggets Join Love Sweepstakes

The Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are all reportedly chasing Kevin Love. Another team out west, the Denver Nuggets want to be in the mix and are willing to trade away Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler to net the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise player.

Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop), a beat writer for the Boston Herald covering the Boston Celtics, tweeted the details on the new player in the Love sweepstakes:

Sources: in addition to Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried, Denver offering Minnesota a player they would acquire (Arron Afflalo) for Love.

— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 19, 2014

The chase for Love is heating-up as the 2014 NBA Draft nears. The annual rookie selection is set on June 26 and teams like the Warriors have apparently upped their offer for the Minnesota big man. Golden State’s latest proposal now include shooter Klay Thompson and David Lee and they are willing to take back the long contract of Kevin Martin and J.J. Barea from the Wolves. Boston’s initial offer centered on young players like Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk plus multiple future first round picks.

This is only going to get weirder, friends... Several sources saying more teams will bid for Love and offers will be altered. — Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 19, 2014

Denver’s offer is interesting to say the least but Chandler ($6.34M) and Faried’s ($1.44M) combined salary only equals to around $7.1M owing to the latter’s rookie deal.

The Nuggets would have to include trade fillers like Darrell Arthur ($3.23M) and Timofey Mozgov ($4.40M) for the deal to work under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) trade rules.

Giving up a lot of players will also mean that Denver has to gut out their roster to acquire a big-salaried player like Love.

Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and JaValee McGee have $10+M contracts and can be included in the deal but the Wolves already have a starting point guard in Ricky Rubio and center in Nikola Pekovic. Gallinari’s injury history may scare off the Wolves.

The Warriors have upped the ante; the Bulls and Celtics are waiting in the wings; and now the Nuggets are joining the chase.

Which team will win the Love sweepstakes?