The Cleveland Cavaliers pursuit of Jimmy Butler and Paul George has reportedly hit a roadblock, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The lack of interest in All-Star forward Kevin Love, who the Cavs have been shopping as the primary chip in the deal, is the leading cause for the breakdown.
Windy on George/Butler: “Nope. Not happening. The Cavs were not generating enough trade interest in Kevin Love.”
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 22, 2017
Former Cavs general manager David Griffin reportedly pushed hard to execute a trade for either Butler or George before the organization elected not to re-sign him to a new deal. Apparently, neither Butler or George saw Cleveland as their preferred destination despite the fact that the Cavs have represented the Eastern Conference in the last three NBA Finals.
According to Marc Stein, Butler wants to stay in Chicago as the centerpiece of the organization, while George has his heart set on landing in Los Angeles to play with the Lakers. The Cavs reportedly tried to get a third team involved in the deal due to the lack of interest in Love.
Love finished the regular season averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game, and made his first All-Star team since 2014.
