Wiggins signs; trade countdown begins

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Andrew Wiggins has an NBA home. Maybe a temporary one.

The Cavaliers signed the No. 1 overall draft pick Thursday, a deal that prevents Wiggins from being traded for 30 days.

Wiggins has been linked to a possible blockbuster trade with Minnesota for All-Star forward Kevin Love. But any deal now involving Wiggins can’t be finalized for at least 30 days.

The Cavs and Timberwolves have had talks about a trade involving Love for months, long before Cleveland selected Wiggins, the former Kansas standout, with the first pick in May’s draft.

Those discussions have intensified lately, and the sides can still reach an agreement on a trade but nothing can be finalized until late August.

Now that Wiggins is under contract, the league’s seldom-used 30-day rule is in effect.

It was designed to prevent teams from circumventing salary cap rules. There have been restrictions placed on trading newly signed rookies dating at least to the 1998-99 collective bargaining agreement.

At that time, rookies were lumped in with all free agents into a rule that prevents any newly signed player from being traded for three months or before Dec. 15 of the next season — whichever is longer.

The rule was modified in the 2005 CBA, separating rookie contracts into a different category with the shorter, 30-day timeline between signing date and trade eligibility.