The Loser of the Wiggins-Love Trade? Canada Basketball

Did Kevin Love and LeBron James hurt our chances of seeing more of this?

The trade that's kept the NBA world buzzing for the past couple weeks seems to have finally been finalized.

Cleveland will trade Canadian youngsters SF Andrew Wiggins and PF Anthony Bennett (who were drafted 1st overall in the previous two drafts) along with a draft pick to Minnesota for All star PF Kevin Love, who will team up with All Star PG Kyrie Irving and some LeBron guy to seemingly create a new "Big Three"for the Cavaliers.

The move has been rumoured for weeks, since James shocked the world and went home to Ohio, and Love started making it pretty clear he wanted out of Minnesota sooner than later. Then in his written-word version of "The Announcement," James' failed to mention new teammates Wiggins and Bennett, and as of last week still hadn't reached out to them. This week the trade was confirmed by the god of NBA reporting, Adrian Wojnarowski, despite the fact League rules say it can't be completed for a few days.

The consensus on the trade is that it's good deal for both sides. Love gets what he wants (out of Minnesota, onto a contender), LeBron gets what he wants (Love), Cleveland gets what it wants (whatever LeBron wants) and Minnesota gets what they want (the highest-upside rookie since Anthony Davis.)



Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett probably didn't get what they want, but what they did get isn't terrible. Minnesota offers Wiggins a chance to be the go-to guy from the get-go. Whether this is good thing or not is debatable, but we do know it will help his stat lines. Bennett is rumoured to be flipped to lowly Philadelphia, who have been leading the Tank Brigade the past couple seasons. He'll get playing time, and a fresh start after his hideous rookie season, but the team around him isn't going to make any teammates better.

If you ask Raptors fans, they're the real winners of the trade. If you look around the Raptors blogiverse, you'd be convinced that Wiggins probably won't even unpack because he's heading straight back to Toronto after his contract is up. The theory goes that A) Minnesota sucks as both a team and a city B) Wiggins is from T.O. therefor C) Wiggins will "go home" in 5 seasons just like LeBron did this offseason. I don't know if I buy that being in Minny makes his return more likely than had he been in Cleveland, but it sounds nice, so I'll let it fly.

So who didn't make out so well in the deal? If you ask me, it's the Canadian Men's basketball squad and the organization behind it, Canada Basketball . 

Initially it looked like the ultimate scenario for them - three of their future core players (Wiggins, Bennett and Cavs big man Tristan Thompson) would get a few years at the LeBron James School of Basketball. The three would get a chance to learn from the best player in the world, and also form chemistry that comes with full seasons and deep playoff trips on the same team. 

Playing with LBJ would've helped them on the court simply by absorbing his cerebral style and unmatched work ethic. But it also would've helped off the court as they learn the PR skills LeBron has also shown to have mastered (other than appearing in The Decision.)

Instead of forming chemistry and winning playoff series (and maybe titles) together, the Canadian Cavaliers are now separated. Wiggins will be the new 'man' in Minny. Bennett will languish on a Sixers squad that also features young big men Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel (both of which may be more talented than Bennett.) And Thompson gets to be a role player on a new super team. 

So it begs the question: Is it better for Team Canada for Wiggins to learn from LeBron on a dominant team, at the expense of being a secondary role player? Or will being the Man in Minny speed his development by forcing him to shoulder the load and take big shots, despite the fact there may not be a lot of winning in his immediate future? 

I guess it's a question we'll never truly be able to answer, but it's sure going to be fun to watch and debate for the next decade.