Kevin Love Signs Four-Year Extension
Cavs power forward Kevin Love has signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski. Love will now be on a five-year contract that will total to $145 million. The extension means that Love will have the largest contract on the Cavs roster, surpassing George Hill whose contract totals to $37 million.
Amid rumors that Love could be on the trading block for a possible complete rebuild, this deal almost entirely silences the trade talk. Not only has the front office made it clear that they want to retain Love long-term, but they now have forced teams to take on a very large contract if they want to trade for him. Considering Love’s tremendous effect on the boards, post-scoring, and spreading the floor, this contract could prove to be a steal if he looks like the prime Kevin Love we saw in Minnesota.
With LeBron gone, Love will (by default) take on the role of the team’s veteran centerpiece and will likely notice some stat boosts all around, except perhaps shooting percentage. For the next few years, Love will now be tasked with mentoring younger big men Larry Nance Jr. and Ante Zizic and hopefully strengthen what already looks like a formidable bench unit that may comprise of George Hill, Kyle Korver, Jordan Clarkson, Nance and Zizic.
Kevin Love must now show that he’s worth every penny of his new contract and may be rewarded with a playoff spot if he can rally the entire team together. While it seemed hard to say this just a couple years ago, the future still looks bright without LeBron and we are now entering the Kevin Love era of Cleveland Cavaliers’ basketball.
Image: ESPN
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