Kevin Love recently inked a four-year extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers worth $120 million. One implication of the deal is that the Cavs are not too worried about their pick. It seems that their prime focus is on Love.
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, the Love deal has numerous implications for the Cavaliers. For one, the team has a very slim cap room. Their future draft picks, too, will be a cause of concern:
Love’s extension will keep the Cavs with little to no cap room, at least until the deals for J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson come off the books. The draft picks could be problematic, too: Their first-round pick next summer is owed to the Hawks if it falls outside of the top 10. This extension signals the Cavs don’t care much about the pick. Instead, they have their five-time All-Star locked up to maneuver through whatever lies ahead.
As mentioned, this could probably mean that Love will be the new face of the franchise long-term. Sans James, the Cavaliers are still a formidable team out in the East. Their recent pick Collin Sexton had an outstanding Summer League showing.
Now, critics are waiting for the return of the old Love. Prior to donning the wine and gold, Love logged in a career high of 26.1 points per game in his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also snagged 12.5 rebounds nightly. At one point, he even logged in 15.2 rebounds per outing.
As they enter the post-James era, will Love finally be appreciated? Will he return to the debates as the best power forward in the league today?