Should Cavs trade or extend Kevin Love this offseason?

Four seasons into the second post-LeBron James Era and the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally getting positive contributions from Kevin Love both on and off the court. Kevin Love’s Cavalier career has been very rocky with things really spiraling out of control during the team’s rebuild. Injuries, tantrums, and cryptic social media posts made Love a distraction and brought unnecessary drama to the team.

Love had one foot out of the door but the thing stopping the Cavs from moving on from him was his 4-year, $120 million extension he signed in 2018. Having multiple years left on this hefty deal, teams were hesitant of trading assets for him and he/his camp was reportedly not interested in a buyout.

The Cavaliers essentially seemed stuck with Love for the next two seasons and now with the selection of Evan Mobley, moving Love to the bench was a move that could have caused another issue. But, there is a saying by Tiger Woods that goes “Winning solves everything” and that has been clear to not only Love but to the Cavaliers.

The Cavs are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with everyone bought into the system set in place by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was recently extended. Multiple moves made this offseason have helped put Kevin Love in a great position for success and he has taken advantage.

On the season, Love is averaging 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on a career-high 64.2 true shooting percentage. What’s been most impressive is Love’s December play, averaging 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, shooting 49.1 percent from both the field and three during the month.

His scorching streak led to Love being named as a recent nominee for Eastern Conference Player of the Week for this past week.

The five-time All-Star will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason if not extended prior to then so with that, a question should be asked of what are the Cavaliers’ plans with Love?

Love should garner some trade discussions considering his play this year but all signs are pointing to the Cavaliers going all in this season in hopes of making a strong playoff push.

So looking at both an extension and a trade, which makes more sense?

Starting off with an extension, Love is entering the twilight of his career and shouldn’t garner anything near a max contract. Love could look to walk in two seasons, seeking another shot at a title run but considering the improvements the Cavs have made, maybe Cleveland is the best chance at that?

With his familiarity and established role with the team, it may be best for Love to look at re-signing, for the right price.

The last part of that statement is what’s most important. What would the numbers be on a potential Love extension? Would Love be willing to sign a team-friendly deal considering how much the Cavs have already shelled out to him?

These are all questions that we should know more information about once the offseason rolls around.

Regarding an offseason trade, this would be a move where the Cavaliers look to maximize a player’s value, something general manager Koby Altman has done before. Love’s trade value is seemingly as high as it’s ever been in the post-LeBron era and his contract turning into an expiring one only increases his value.

Looking at the potential 2023 NBA free agency pool, the biggest gets of that offseason look to be LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. If those players sign long-term extensions with their teams, players like D’Angelo Russell, Dillon Brooks, Caris LeVert, Fred VanVleet, and Kristaps Porzingis are expected to be looking for long-term contracts.

A free agency pool like this would be enough to entice a team to shed cap in order to pursue one of those high-level players.

So what would a potential Kevin Love trade look like?

A team like the New York Knicks could come calling as they look to get out of Evan Fournier’s 4-year contract. Maybe the Washington Wizards could attach some picks to get off of Davis Bertans’ 5-year extension signed last offseason? Could the Brooklyn Nets move on from Joe Harris, who’s been a rumored potential trade target? The Portland Trail Blazers could look to move on from Norman Powell as it seems they may be headed for a rebuild.

The question that should be asked is can the Cavaliers afford a Love extension with Jarrett Allen‘s money on the books as well as Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro all seeking extensions within the next couple of seasons? This doesn’t even include the potential extensions of Ricky Rubio or Cedi Osman, two crucial parts of the Cavs’ success this season.

Can Kevin Love keep this play up well into his 30s considering his injury history?

Getting max value out of a player makes sense and the hope is that Garland, Sexton, Evan Mobley, Okoro, and Allen all continue to make offensive leaps in their games to make up for a potential Kevin Love departure.