Regardless of what LeBron James decides to do this summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly want to keep Kevin Love on the roster.
On Wednesday evening, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote, “The Cavaliers are not actively shopping All-Star forward Kevin Love heading into Thursday’s NBA draft,” adding that the team has interest in keeping Love, no matter what James does.
The timing of this leak is pretty interesting, as it sure looks like Cleveland is doing what it can to up Love’s value here. The old, “we’re not going to move, so if you really want him you gotta blow us away” shtick.
Love simply isn’t a cornerstone player any more. He’s a role player who needs a superstar and supporting cast around him to make much of a real difference. The Cavaliers are rumored to be very interested in keeping James on board, which makes sense, and they might be looking to make a trade for Kemba Walker as a means to make this happen.
The trio of Walker, Love and James sounds pretty enticing, but the Cavaliers would be foolish to not at least investigate other alternatives.
With that in mind, whatever you hear about Love right now, just know that he’s definitely not guaranteed to be in Cleveland next season.