Kevin Love Trade Rumors: Cavaliers Star Does Not Expect to Be Dealt to Knicks

Rumors have swirled around a possible Kevin Love-for-Carmelo Anthony swap in advance of the Feb. 23 trade deadline, but the Cleveland Cavaliers power forward told reporters Friday he doesn't plan on being dealt.

According to the Associated Press' Tom Withers, Love said he expects to stay in Cleveland "for a long time."

Love also told reporters he's become used to hearing his name in trade rumors even if he's thriving on the court. 

"I predicted that," he said, per ESPN.com news services. "I said it doesn't matter if I have an All-Star year or its one start or the other, it's always going to be there, right?"

Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon reported Friday that the Cavaliers would entertain offers for Love if the right deal were on the table, but indications to this point suggest the team isn't planning on parting with the valuable stretch 4. 

To that end, Vardon cited multiple sources who said the Cavaliers "are not interested in trading Love for Anthony, and indicated the general interest level in Anthony was low." Furthermore, sources told Vardon the team is "backing far away from a potential trade for Anthony."

Regardless of what the Cavaliers would get in return, trading Love at this stage in the season doesn't make much sense.

The 28-year-old is the only NBA player who is averaging at least 19 points and 11 rebounds while knocking down better than 37 percent of his threes this season, and he's established a rapport with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving that would be dangerous to disrupt. 

Through 36 games and 843 minutes this season, Love, James and Irving have posted an offensive rating of 113.3 and outscored opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions.  

And while the Cavaliers may find themselves in something of an arms race with the Golden State Warriors as they pursue back-to-back championships, parting with a key piece of their title formula could do more harm than good as the second half of the season rolls on. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.