Like rap legend LL Cool J, the Warriors need love.

And not the kind that will mend the franchise after a bad breakup with its ousted head coach. But the kind that gobbles up rebounds and has range out to the 3-point line: Kevin Love.

Realistically, the Warriors are not good enough to be an elite team. The recent season proved they need an upgrade to be legit title contenders.

Love, apparently convinced he never will win in Minnesota, has made it clear to the Timberwolves he does not want a contract extension and plans to become a free agent at the end of next season. That all but forces the T’wolves to trade him to ensure they don’t lose him for nothing in return.

The Warriors are among a handful of teams said to be vying for Love. The others are the Bulls, Rockets, Celtics and Suns.

Love’s only power in a potential trade is deciding whether or not to sign a long-term extension with the team to which he is traded. Most potential suitors would back off a trade with Minnesota if Love makes clear he won’t sign an extension. But his indication that he’d like to play for Golden State puts the Warriors on Minnesota’s shortlist.

That green light from Love should prompt an aggressive full-court press from the Warriors to pull off a trade. It’s a long shot, to be sure. It’s going to take a minor miracle from general manager Bob Myers.

The Warriors don’t have draft picks to offer in a trade, items usually coveted by teams parting with a star. They’ll have one to give away after draft night, their 2015 pick. But it’s likely to be a late first-rounder.

The Warriors have a couple of young assets to offer, but giving up too many (or the wrong ones), defeats the purpose. Love is a difference-maker only if he is added to the existing core. Creating holes in the roster to get Love would be treading water.

Yet, the Warriors have made it clear they have designs on a championship. And Love is the answer to several of the things they need to be serious contenders. He upgrades the position at which they can most use an upgrade. At 25, Love is entering his prime. And he’s already among the best power forwards in the league.

Warriors forward David Lee once had been an equal to Love, especially in the minds of Golden State management. But Lee has fallen a rung, or two, on the ladder. He went from the Warriors’ co-star with Stephen Curry to the third or fourth option.

And at 31, it’s not as if you can expect several great years out of Lee.

With Love, the Warriors don’t lose what Lee brings. Love is bigger and a better rebounder and passer.

He also gives the Warriors much more flexibility on the floor. Not only could they use his 26.1 points per game, but Love also knocked down 190 3-pointers this season at a 37.6 percent clip. That would be a huge benefit to an offense that desperately needs more floor spacing.

The Warriors need a second star to flank Curry. Love, who has been the front-line star for Minnesota the past six seasons, is good enough to draw a double-team in the post and make defenses pay for single coverage.

So what will it take to get him?

Ideally, the Warriors could pull it off with a package of Lee, forward Harrison Barnes and the 2015 draft pick. That’s probably the best the Warriors could offer.

A team source said the Warriors don’t want to give up Klay Thompson to land Love. Draymond Green doesn’t make enough to impact the trade financially. That leaves Barnes, whom the Warriors stuck by during his sophomore slump.

Perhaps Barnes and Green, in tandem, would qualify as enough young talent to pair with Lee — but that’s giving up too much as Green has proved invaluable off the bench. Maybe the Warriors could get their hands on another first-round pick to bolster their offer.

If the Timberwolves don’t want Lee, the options are all but dead. It would be tough for the Warriors to trade Lee’s remaining contract — two years, $30 million — to get the pieces they’d need to make good with Minnesota. Would a team such as Orlando, in its pursuit of respectability, give up Arron Afflalo and an expiring contract for Lee?

The Warriors have stiff competition. The Bulls have draft picks, a couple of young players and a hefty expiring contract in Carlos Boozer with which to barter. Phoenix has been collecting draft picks like gold coins and could give Minnesota serious rebuilding material.

Yes, the deck is stacked against the Warriors. But if they want to run with the big boys, they need to pull off a big-boy move. They need Love.

Read Marcus Thompson II’s blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson. Contact him at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ThompsonScribe.