To no one’s surprise, Kevin Love will be opting out of the final year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers to become a free agent this summer, as first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein.
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By opting out of the final $16.7 million of his contract, Love is eligible to sign a max-level extension in the five-year, $100+ million range, so this is most likely just the expected, reasonable financial decision to maximize his earnings with the Cavs.
Opting out does not guarantee that his free agency will result in anything other than Cleveland re-signing their star power forward to make another title run in 2015-16.
However, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, that won’t stop teams from trying to pitch Kevin Love to leave the Cavaliers. One team Woj mentioned as an aggressive suitor included the Phoenix Suns:
Opt-out sets up Love to sign extension w/ Cavs, but teams want crack at pitching him. Another suitor promising to be aggressive: Phoenix.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2015
The question is, will general manager Ryan McDonough earn a sit-down with Love to get his chance to pitch what the Suns have to offer?
The lure of a massive extension in Cleveland — not to mention the easier path through the Eastern Conference and the prospect of continuing to play with the best basketball player on earth — makes it hard to envision Kevin Love leaving a cushy situation that places him much closer to a title than he’d be elsewhere.
That being said, Woj also reports that he may consider listening to pitches from the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers…with no mention of the Suns:
Cleveland remains the frontrunner to sign Love to a five-year, $100M-plus extension, but Love could be willing to hear out Celtics, Lakers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2015
The Suns were aggressive in their pursuit of Love last summer as well, and had included Eric Bledsoe in trade discussions centered around Love with the Minnesota Timberwolves when Bledsoe’s restricted free agency had the two parties at an impasse. But then the Cavs swept in with their offer revolving around No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins and the Suns re-signed Bledsoe in the end.
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In Phoenix, Love would automatically be the face of the franchise and he’d be treated as such — something that probably holds some appeal after being undervalued and unfairly criticized for most of the 2014-15 season as Cleveland’s third option. He averaged a respectable 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, but those numbers were a far cry from the elite stat line he put together in his last year with the Wolves (26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 4.4 APG).
As the star of the Suns, Love would have a chance to put up those kind of All-Star numbers again as the focal point of Phoenix’s offense. His pick-and-pop game, his rebounding and his ability to spread the floor with a three-point shot would make him a prized addition to a Suns frontcourt that needs help in all of those areas. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, but since when do the Suns play defense anyway?
The first playoff appearance of Love’s career was cut short by a shoulder injury at the hands of Kelly Olynyk in Cleveland’s first round series against the Celtics, so it’s hard to see him leaving a team that just made it to the NBA Finals without him AND without Kyrie Irving, but his fit with LeBron James has been awkward both on and off the court.
Although the Suns have the complementary players to surround Love with young talent, the temptation to be the new face of the prestigious Lakers franchise, or to be a part of what Boston has brewing is probably more enticing than what Love would have to work with in Phoenix.
Sources: If Kevin Love goes forward with visits in July, expect Boston to sell him on pursuing group of Love, Robin Lopez and...Paul Pierce.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2015
Marc Stein also listed the Portland Trail Blazers as a potential suitor for Love if they lose unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge this summer.
For the Suns, signing Kevin Love would be a coup, but it’s highly unlikely he winds up anywhere other than Cleveland. Opting out of the final year of his contract was expected and financially responsible on his part, but until anything is set in stone, keep your eye on the Suns’ involvement in Love’s free agency moving forward.
Next: How The Suns Can Get DeMarcus Cousins