Should the Kings chase Kevin Love?

The topic du jour in NBA circles is whether the Timberwolves will trade Kevin Love this offseason.  (Tip of the cap to lay-it-up-like-a-man, who had the Fan Shot) This discussion was sparked by a report from Yahoo Sports, and has quickly grown into a full scale feeding frenzy. It's rather silly considering the Timberwolves had a few bits of bad luck and the misfortune of being in the Western Conference, otherwise they would have been a playoff team this year.

But that won't stop us from asking the big question: should the Kings be in the mix for Kevin Love?  The answer is that of course they should pick up the phone, but it seems unlikely that Sacramento will be Love's destination. Sacramento has a slightly shorter playoff drought, one season I believe, than Minnesota. It's still a small market. It's still a losing team.

And what does Sacramento have to offer? A sign-and-trade of Isaiah Thomas doesn't seem like enough to land Love, no matter how much we may value IT. The Kings would likely need to offer some combination of their first round pick or DeMarcus Cousins, and filler. And we're not talking Jason Thompson as filler. We're talking Ben McLemore-level filler.

I wondered on Twitter yesterday if Kings fans would trade Cousins for Love. I received a resounding "no", which surprised me. Some qualified their response with a requirement that Love would need to sign an extension. I see that logic. You don't give up Cousins for a one season rental of Love. But many were insistent that they wouldn't give up Cousins for Love under any circumstances. That surprised me. Love is an astounding talent. He's the caliber of player we hope Cousins becomes, but may never become. Future growth is likely but not promised.

I do think it's important that we be realistic when considering what could land Love. Think of the ridiculous offers other fans threw out when Cousins was supposedly available. The offers were insulting. That's how Wolves fans will feel about most of the offers we come up with. I'd encourage you to look at the reactions from our friends at Canis Hoopus, but please don't go trolling.  You can share your trade ideas here.  They are being bombarded by hairbrained trade proposals.  No need to add to it.  Instead, use this thread.  Look at Love's abilities, and then come up with your best offers in the comments below.

I've also included a poll, so we can see if my  Twitter followers accurately represented the feelings of Kings fans.

A final thought: it's unlikely the Kings land Kevin Love. But this is Sacramento, where Love will find a way.