After being swept away by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be forced to watch franchise superstar LeBron James once again in free agency.

James carried an otherwise mediocre Cleveland team to the NBA Finals, but the Cavaliers didn't put up a fight against the Warriors - who repeated as champions. With a porous supporting cast around him, many expect James to opt out and find a new home this summer.

And if James decides to leave the Cavaliers this summer, ESPN's Brian Windhorst is reporting that the team could look to trade away All-Star Kevin Love, the next best player on the roster.

Appearing on The Hoop Collective (h/t RealGM), Windhorst explained why the Cavs could decide to shop Love:

"They start over. They fully make Kevin Love available," Windhorst said. "I bet they would look for a first-round pick in that trade. He's on the last year of a deal, so they don't want to take on money."

Love, a five-time All-Star, would undoubtedly attract many suitors in the trade market. Though his defense and constant underwhelming performances in the playoffs have been well-documented, Love is one of the top power forwards/centers in the NBA.

Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

2017-18 was hard on Love, who opened up about battling anxiety while also missing six weeks with a broken left hand. Nonetheless, he averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the regular season.

If James leaves, the Cavaliers may have to look at rebuilding the entire roster. They don't have much cap space to add star-like talent, and owning the eight-overall pick in this year's draft doesn't guarantee they'll find an impact player who can contribute right away.

As such, trading Love for future assets makes plenty of sense if James decides to find a new home. The return in a Love trade could significantly help Cleveland rebuild in the post-LeBron era. If anything else, it'd be a surprise if he remained on the Cavaliers through the offseason if James were to leave.

NEXT: TRADES SET TO SHAKEUP THE NBA THIS SUMMER