Kevin Love might no longer be on the court for the rest of the season, but that is not stopping his name from getting into the headlines. The forward continues to be a major story heading into free agency as he has the opportunity to opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a roller coaster season following the Minnesota Vikings trade, many debated whether Love would head elsewhere. According to the forward, he is staying put.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Love fully expects to be with the Cavaliers on opening night next season. Currently rehabbing a separated shoulder, Love is setting the record straight claiming he has no plans to leave Cleveland in free agency.
"I truly haven't even thought about it, but as I mentioned, I expect to be suiting up by Game 1 of next year," Love said, via ESPN.com.
Love has a lot of options in front of him. He could opt in to the final year of his deal and then wait to sign a max contract when the new NBA tv deals factor into the salary cap space. He could also opt out of his contract and sign a max deal now either with the Cavaliers or elsewhere. With free agency around the corner, Love will be getting a lot of attention from teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. However, he continues to stress Cleveland is where he will be.
"I'll continue to work and try to get healthy over the summer and come back ready to play Game 1 [of next season]," Love said. But like I mentioned, I'm super happy for these guys, proud of these guys, and there's times where I've felt down because of my shoulder and they've been here to pick me back up, and that's kind of how it's been the whole year."
Love's decision could impact what happens to the remaining roster for the Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson is going to be a restricted free agent and could command a max deal. LeBron James has already endorsed the forward becoming a Cavalier for life. Anderson Varejao will be a free agent. JR Smith has a player option worth $6 million he will likely opt in on. Iman Shumpert will be a restricted free agent. Timofey MOzgov has a team option worth $4 million.
If Cleveland hands Thompson a max deal, they likely cannot give Love the same type of contract. The forward will have to be willing to wait out the year for his contract. However, then LeBron James is going to need a new contract which will leave the Cavaliers with money issues once again. Cleveland cannot retain everyone which means their offseason is going to be interesting.