Kevin Love was traded in the offseason because he made it known that his intentions were to opt out of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and become a free agent in 2015. For fear of losing their franchise player for nothing in return, the Timberwolves opted to deal Love to the Cavaliers in exchange for former top draft picks. While it was assumed Love went to the Cavaliers under the notion that he would in fact re-sign with the team in free agency, some are doubting the forward's commitment.
According to Sam Smith of NBA.com, there is a growing belief that Love plans on still opting out of his contract at the end of the year in favor of free agency and signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. That is a bold prediction from Smith who wrote (via NBA.com), "LeBron James basically cannot afford to go anywhere after his return to Cleveland. But watch out for Love. Indications are he will seriously consider the opt out and has his eyes on a return to Los Angeles, where he attended college and where the Lakers long have had him on their free agent wish list."
The Cavaliers gave up a lot to get Love. The sent the Timberwolves their 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins and their 2013 No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Bennett. That is a lot of potential talent handed over for the All-Star forward. Cleveland would not have made that deal if they felt Love was preparing to bolt in a year. According to Dan Gilbert, the intentions were to secure a championship roster for the long-term and they expected Love to be a part of that.
There were conflicting reports put out in wake of the Love trade. Some reported that the forward promised Cleveland he would re-sign in 2015 while others reported the Cavaliers guaranteed the forward a max contract. Per NBA league rules, the Cavaliers nor Love could make any promises regarding the future, but many NBA sources believe there was a verbal agreement in place.
Yes, the Lakers were a team expected to make a run at Love prior to the Cleveland deal, The forward is from the area. He went to college at UCLA. It seems like the perfect fit. Could Los Angeles still be in the running for Love? Of course, this is the NBA and the free-agent-to-be could easily do anything he wants as long as he did not sign any dotted lines. However, the Cavaliers understand their window to retain Love will be short, but plan on making sure they keep the forward for many years to come.
