Kevin Love spent most of the regular season defending his commitment to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The forward was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves following the arrival of LeBron James. The Cavaliers gave up two former first-round draft picks for the forward with the intention that he would be on the team for years to come. Love continued to agree with that idea until he decided to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Love will opt out of a $16.7 million player option and become a free agent on July 1. Love reportedly notified the Cavaliers that he would be hitting the market where he could earn upwards of a four-year deal worth $80.4 million. Love could opt to re-sign with Cleveland to tune of a five-year, $108.3 million contract, but with a max contract coming to Tristan Thompson, that is unlikely.
The move by Love confirms the report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports at the beginning of the offseason which stated that Love wanted to "look around" in free agency. During the playoffs, Love told the media that he wanted to remain in Cleveland because the Cavaliers offered him the best chance at winnings. Just because he opted out does not mean Love cannot re-sign with the Cavaliers. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first reported Love would likely opt out and sign a one-year deal in order to capitalize off the increasing NBA salary caps. However, there is now a small window in which teams can try and pry the forward out of Cleveland.
According to Stein, the Knicks, Lakers and Celtics will be the frontrunners for Love as they have been interested in him all along. All three teams were linked to a DeMarcus Cousins trade that is no longer happening, but Love being available would be the next best thing. All three teams can offer a max contract to the forward while allowing him to be a main face of the franchise. Love admitted he struggled to find his place in Cleveland amongst James and Kyrie Irving. He was used to being "the man" in Minnesota before getting traded
It is unclear what the exact intentions of Love are. Several marquee players are eyeing short-term deals in hopes of getting a major pay day when the TV contracts take place in NBA salary caps. The forward could be eyeing a similar deal while most teams will be ready with a max contract coming his way.