What it means: For all the speculation over Love’s future during the 2014-15 season, as he struggled to figure out how he fit in a loaded Cavaliers roster, the consensus had developed recently within the league that Love – as he repeatedly said – wasn’t going anywhere.
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“We have unfinished business and now it’s time to get back to work”, Love wrote. The Lakers can not clear enough cap room to sign two max-salaried players. Love doesn’t have a no trade clause as those can only come when a player has four or more seasons with the team signing him and also eight total years of service.
The 26-year-old stated his desire to remain with the Cavaliers several times since the end of the regular season. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. He can sign the contract July 9.
The Plain Dealer reported that the Cavs expect to make a maximum five-year $100 million contract to Love during the 2015 National Basteball Association off-season. That might have been the right play in most years, the Cavs felt they could not do so this summer, because they are fewer than 12 months removed from sending reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota for Love.
Even with the disappointing letdown to end his season and grabbing free agency attention from other teams, Love still feels his best chance to get a championship ring is in Cleveland. But he was spotted at a pool meeting with James and other teammates earlier this week, a meeting he alluded to in the piece he published on Wednesday.
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was looking for three main ingredients from perspective teams in free agency.
It wasn’t always that clear during a rocky beginning.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love playing for the United States. But on Wednesday, he showed that he is going to back up his words this offseason.
The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics are said to be possible destinations for Love if he leaves the Cavs.
Paul Pierce has agreed to a three-year, $10 million deal to join the Los Angeles Clippers, where he will be reunited with coach Doc Rivers, who coached him in Boston. “If he stays healthy next year, that is what is most important”.
One of the surprises of the day, then, was that so many players were willing to lock in rather than hold off or “gimmick-contract” their way to another bite at the platinum apple in a year or two. He’s the guy who, when asked during the Eastern Conference finals what he might say to Cleveland’s feisty Matthew Dellavedova about his reckless play, wondered if the “foreigner” even spoke English. I couldn’t have been prouder of them as they poured their blood, sweat and tears onto the court.
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Only unrestricted free agent J.R. Smith, who declined his one-year, $6.4 million player option, is unlikely to be back with the wine and gold.
