Kevin Love Again Says He is Staying in Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their fair share of struggles early in the season. One that has hung around has been the idea that Kevin Love could opt out after the season and go elsewhere. Even those who do not think he is leaving believe he will opt out to sign a better deal this upcoming season.

Love today stopped both of those rumors:

"“I think that we will figure it out here, so I don’t plan on opting out or any of that,” Love told NEOMG. “I plan on being here. As far as leaving my options open, I mean sure, it’s always there. At the end of the day, it’s always good to have something but no, I plan on being here.”"

We covered this weekend that Jason Lloyd had heard from NBA execs that Love could leave Cleveland but he again has tried to stop the rumors:

"Executives around the league, however, continue to believe Love could leave Cleveland at the end of the season. We’ll see. There is still a long way to go."

For Love this has to be getting frustrating. He made it clear when he was traded to the Cavs that he expected to be with the organization for a long time. He even made such statements on Mike and Mike in the Morning:

"“Whether we lose two or three games in a row, or there’s a game where my statistical output isn’t necessarily what it should be, people are always going to talk,” said Love. “Since I was traded to Cleveland this summer, I’ve said since Day 1 that I’m a Cleveland Cavalier long term and I plan for it to be that way. I want to grow with this team. There’s a lot of guys with a lot of unique talent, one-through-fifteen, on our roster who are going to be here for a long time. If I could end all the speculation now, I would. But people are going to continue to talk no matter what. I just want to continue getting better with this team long term. I’m a Cleveland Cavalier.”"

So what else is there for Love to do?

More from King James Gospel

It is surprising that he won’t opt out of his deal at the end of the season to give himself some flexibility and control over his contract situation. Many believe that he and LeBron James would setup their contracts so they ended after next year again so they could benefit from the cap increase many expect. Instead, according to his recent statements, Love plans to opt in to the final year of his deal and plans to be with the Cavaliers for years to come.

His commitment, along with Kyrie Irving‘s 5 year deal that goes into affect next year, will make it easier for James to be committed long term to Cleveland as well. The combination of those 3 should continue to attract free agents who want to play with them.

Is there anything Kevin Love can do to make you feel better about his future with the Cavs?

Connect with King James Gospel