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Report: Timberwolves only talking to Cavaliers in Kevin Love trade talks

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

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And then there was one.

The three most commonly cited suitors for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love have been the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. But it looks like the Cavaliers are the only ones left in the game.

The price for Love, a disgruntled 25-year-old All-NBA forward, is understandably high. From the Bulls, it was rumored that newly acquired forwards Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, along with forward Taj Gibson were to form the bulk of a deal. Shooting guard Klay Thompson is said to be the main prize from Golden State, and first-overall pick Andrew Wiggins supposedly headlines the Cavaliers' offer.

However, as noted in the post below, the Bulls can't trade McDermott or Mirotic for 30 days, while the Warriors remain staunch in their unwillingness to deal Thompson. Therefore, that leaves the Cavaliers alone in the chase for Love.

But the Bulls' problem also affects the Cavaliers, as the newly signed Wiggins cannot be traded until August 23. That shouldn't affect much, as ESPN's Marc Stein notes:

...but numerous league insiders - some of whom are gathered in Las Vegas for this week's Team USA training camp - have begun to describe a Love-to-Cleveland trade as a "when" transaction as opposed to an "if."

Stein's report also notes that the Timberwolves hope to shed the contract of point guard J.J. Barea - who is owed $4.5 million next season - in a deal involving Love. It's unclear as to whether the Cavaliers would be interested in taking on Barea. If not, a third team would need to be involved.

Adding further fuel to the fire, a source told theScore that Anthony Bennett was removed from a Pro-Am game in Toronto earlier this week was at his agent's request.

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