The Cavaliers, if nothing else, won’t be tanking next season.
After LeBron James’ departure to the Lakers, Cleveland inked a four-year extension with Kevin Love on Tuesday, cementing the 29-year-old as the face of the franchise. The deal is for $120 million, according to ESPN.
Love often seemed to be the odd man out on James’ Cavs, struggling to fit in during his first two years with the club and seeing an overall dip in numbers from his time in Minnesota. Still, he averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds last year. Now the Cavs will build their offense around him and first-round pick Collin Sexton, still fighting while James is in Los Angeles.
“When I first came to Cleveland, I came with a long-term mindset,” Love said in a release. “I came here to win. We developed a culture here that reflects that. I’m super excited and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a big commitment for me and it’s a big commitment from the Cavaliers, so I want to thank Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman and the entire organization. I enjoy playing here, I’m excited about the team that we have and look forward to our future together. Cleveland fans have been special from day one and I’m also looking forward to continuing to be a part of this great community.”
The Cavaliers held a signing ceremony at Quicken Loans Arena, where fans filed in to welcome back their one star.
In the miserable Eastern Conference, Love, Sexton, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson might be enough to compete for a playoff berth — and Cleveland seems content to do just that in lieu of tanking.
“We are very excited to announce Kevin’s long-term commitment to the Cavaliers and Cleveland. This quickly became a partnership the second we began these discussions. Collaboration and winning matter greatly to Kevin and that was reflected in this extension,” said Altman, the Cavs GM.
