It was rumored for months and expected to happen for weeks. Finally the Cleveland Cavaliers finalized a deal to team up Kevin Love with LeBron James as part of a three-team trade. As part of the deal, the Cavaliers sent No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins and former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The ‘Wolves also received veteran forward Thaddeus Young from the Philadelphia 76ers and a $6.3 million trade exception.

The Sixers received a 2015 first-round draft pick, guard Alexey Shved and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from Minnesota.

Many people believe the deal will work out great for Cleveland. With James, Love and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers instantly turned into not only championship contender, but championship frontrunners.

"Kevin joining the Cavaliers represents a very special and unique opportunity for our team," Cavs general manager David Griffin said in a statement. "At only 25, Kevin has already firmly established himself as one of the NBA's elite players and his talent, versatility and fit are major parts of our team's vision for success."

The deal had been agreed upon for several weeks before it became official. The teams involved were forced to wait 30 days after Wiggins signed his rookie contract to complete the deal. At the end of the day, all teams hope it was worth the wait.

As happy as Cavaliers fans were about acquiring Love, nobody was happier than James.

"I'm going to be very excited to have him," James said at his recent homecoming event in Akron, Ohio.

"I don't really care about the 26 (points) and 12 (rebounds). I care about the basketball IQ. His basketball IQ is very, very high. He's a great piece."

In addition to Love, who will wear No. 0, several veteran players are joining James in Cleveland. Former champions Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and James Jones have all agreed to join the Cavaliers in hopes of bringing a title to Cleveland.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Love is leaving Minnesota after his best season as a professional basketball player. He averaged career-highs in points (26.1) and assists (4.4) while grabbing 12.5 rebounds per game and shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range during the 2013-14 NBA season. Unfortunately, those personal milestones did not lead to success for the Timberwolves. They finished the season with a record of 40 wins and 42 losses.

Still, the ‘Wolves did not want to part ways with Love. But the team knew he was bound to leave eventually, so they decided to deal him while they still could.

"I want to personally thank Kevin Love for his six seasons with the Wolves," said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. "On the floor, Kevin has worked hard to make himself a great player in the NBA. He also made it a priority to give back to the community ... we wish him nothing but the best in Cleveland."

The Timberwolves hope Wiggins lives up to his potential and develops into the league’s next big superstar. If he does, Minnesota may have actually got the better end of the deal.

Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now that Cleveland has Love, they will undoubtedly be expected to at least make the NBA Finals in 2015. Anything short of that will be considered a huge disappointment. That means the pressure will be on first-year NBA coach David Blatt, James, Love, Irving and the rest of the team. They are certainly talented enough to live up to those high expectations, but whether they actually will or not remains to be seen.

If James is able to lead the Cavaliers to a championship victory, he will become arguably the most popular sports figure that Cleveland has ever had. The city already loves him, but some still have bad feelings toward him for leaving them in 2010 for the Miami Heat. Winning a title for the Cavs would certainly mean all if forgotten and forgiven.