While it can't be made official until 12:01 ET Saturday morning, the long-anticipated three-team trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers has been agreed upon in principle by all sides, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
While the swapping of Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins has been all but etched in stone for some time, the inclusion of the 76ers and small forward Thaddeus Young was a more recent development.
Until recently, it was widely reported that the Timberwolves would be flipping one of the returns from the Cavaliers, last year's first overall pick Anthony Bennett, to Philadelphia in exchange for Young. Now it seems they'll be holding onto him, instead tossing the Sixers the first-round draft pick Cleveland will be sending over in the deal, expected to be the Miami Heat's 2015 first-rounder.
Here's a breakdown of the moving pieces in the trade, as presently constructed:
Cavaliers receive: F Kevin Love (from Minnesota)
76ers receive: F Luc Mbah A Moute, G Alexey Shved (from Minnesota), 2015 first-round pick (from Miami, via Cleveland)
Timberwolves receive: G Andrew Wiggins, F Anthony Bennett (from Cleveland), F Thaddeus Young (from Philadelphia).
Unable to get the throw-in they wanted in Bennett, the 76ers seem to have opted for more long-term cap relief (if that's even possible), by picking up two expiring contracts in Mbah A Moute and Shved, not to mention another draft pick (they had seven of them in this year's draft).
And in picking up the last two No. 1 overall picks in Wiggins and Bennett, and a very capable starting wing in Young, the Timberwolves are making out pretty well here.
The Cavs? They'll be alright too.
