INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love cannot be traded. Not yet anyway.

In three weeks that will officially change. But neither that reality nor the Cavaliers' commitment to Love this off-season has prevented his name from popping up in trade rumors.

It's nothing new for Love, who constantly jokes about the number of times he has been fake-traded since joining the Cavs in the summer of 2014.

The latest chatter comes from Marc Stein of the New York Times. He wrote on Tuesday about the Denver Nuggets having a "longstanding fondness" for Love.

"Would I be surprised?" Drew asked when the conversation of Cleveland trading Love came up following Thursday's practice. "As far as trades are concerned, I understand the nature of this business. Anybody can be traded. I've been in this league long enough where I've seen that happen. I think any deal that makes sense for any team, sure, they'll be willing to pull the trigger. But that's just the nature of our business.

"Around this time is always an exciting time because you start hearing names floating around, all the possibilities and the probables and the what-ifs and 99 percent of the time none of it happens. Trade deadline time is always, as a player you get a little antsy. When I played, I got a little antsy because there was always the possibility. That's just how the business is, that deadline, people get excited, things start floating around and that's just how it is."

Sources reiterated to cleveland.com recently that trading Love is not high on the Cavaliers' list of priorities. The front office has not had deep discussions about that. Even in the midst of this losing season, dropping to the worst record in the NBA, the Cavs' vision hasn't changed.

Ultimately, they view Love as a cornerstone of the post-LeBron James era. They signed him to a four-year extension this off-season in part to protect their asset. But they also wanted him to be with them during this strenuous rebuild, understanding how difficult it is to acquire an All-Star, especially in a city that hasn't historically been a hotbed for free agents.

It wasn't about going all-in on the 2018-19 season and then quickly reversing course either. It was about having Love already in place when rookie Collin Sexton becomes a more-developed sophomore and the new building block arrives via the 2019 NBA Draft.

Tristan Thompson, who is in the midst of a career year, and Larry Nance Jr. are under contract for next season. Nance received a lucrative extension this season. All of those players are considered important to the team's future. That's their vision.

Then again, this is the NBA. The Cavs could get blown away with a Love offer from a desperate team, as other executives clearly consider Love as a potential difference-maker who could be plucked off a rebuilding team.

If that happens, the Cavs would, no doubt, give it some thought. They may still rebuff, but they would consider it.

Still, they have other trade candidates that are more likely to be dealt, including Alec Burks and his enticing expiring contract. Perhaps even Rodney Hood, who has veto power over a deal, but could be an intriguing option for a team looking at a short-term fix. Jordan Clarkson's scoring potential off the bench could be intriguing.

The other wild card in this speculation is Love's health. He recently returned to the court for some shooting, which Drew considers a great sign.

Love also met with his doctor for a follow-up and the Cavs are awaiting the results of that visit.

"We haven't had him all year," Drew said. "Let's face it, he's our main guy. He's our go-to guy. He's the guy we're going to put the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He does so much because he has that, being a guy his size he can step up to the 3-point line. You can post him. He gets to the foul line. We haven't had that all year. Getting him back, it will be a great welcome. Hopefully it will be sooner than later."

Love had cartilage removed and fluid drained from the base of the big toe on his left foot by Dr. Martin O'Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on Nov. 2. At that time, the Cavs said he would be re-evaluated after about six weeks.

Love first mentioned mid-January as his targeted return date in an interview with The Athletic a while back. When speaking to cleveland.com recently, he mentioned that nothing had changed on that front.

Wednesday -- when Love wasn't at the arena with his teammates -- marked two months after his surgery date. Even if he gets good news on that front, there are plenty of steps still ahead before he officially returns.

The Cavs could certainly use him, as their loss to Miami was their seventh straight defeat.

"Our guys are ready for him to come back," Drew said. "We miss him dearly. He's our main guy, he's our go-to guy. We're missing a lot of points, we're missing a lot of rebounds in our lineup. Whenever it's time for him to come back, we're going to be ready.

"Right now we're anxious to get him back. We're not going to rush him back. When he's deemed, when he's ready to play, when he's been totally cleared by medical, when he's been out there practicing and moving around and being bumped around, when he clears that and they deem him ready to come back and play, we'll be ready to have him back. But until then, we'll just have to wait until he's ready."