Hornets reportedly attempted to trade for Kevin Love during the 2017-18 season

According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Hornets were among a number of teams that reached out to the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding a trade for veteran big man Kevin Love. Per Deveney:

Throughout the season, especially as Cleveland struggled with the veteran group it originally put together, teams would call the Cavs with one player especially targeted: All-Star forward Kevin Love. Each time, the inquiring team — among them, according to sources, were Miami, Charlotte and Portland — was given a polite ”No, thanks.”

There’s no further details on what the Hornets were offering, but it’s likely that the trade either centered around Dwight Howard or a combination of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams. Each would’ve probably required some combination of future draft picks or young talent, or a willingness to take a longer contract off Cleveland’s hands to make the deal worth their while.

Love has since signed an extension with Cleveland that will keep him in Cleveland until the summer of 2023. It remains to be seen how Cleveland will approach this coming season. If this deal was done with the intent of making Love the franchise centerpiece of the post-LeBron era, then this will likely be the last we hear of any Love to Charlotte rumors. However, there is a chance the Cavs worked out this extension so a trade for Love isn’t seen as a rental, netting them a larger potential return. If that’s the case, don’t be surprised to see the Hornets surface as another potential trade suitor for the former All Star. Acquiring Love would immediately launch the Hornets into contention for home court in the Eastern Conference, and it would fit general manager Mitch Kupchak’s modus operandi of making splashy moves for established star talent.