Getty Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love
Could a trade be on the horizon for Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers? After all, the team seems to be in full on tank mode and looking to dump veterans for future assets as many losing teams tend to do while turning to a new chapter in the franchise. Although the Cavs are currently without Love, the team doesn’t indicate that they want to trade him away. And Love also makes it clear that he would like to stay in Cleveland.
Just because Love is going to suck it up and play for his current team when he returns doesn’t mean that all is well in the veteran’s head. Love is upset with the team’s recent moves. It’s not really a surprise, as it is to be expected that a veteran player doesn’t like spending some of his prime years in a very messy situation.
For young players, being a part of a team that is turning a new page can be difficult, but rewarding later on in their career. For veterans who are in their prime, or maybe beyond that, the process of moving on can be much more difficult to deal with mentally.
Cavaliers veteran J.R. Smith has already had enough and checked out months ago. Kyle Korver is traded off to the Utah Jazz, and Kevin Love is currently resting up ready for a return. And despite having other disgruntled veterans around Cleveland, Love is looking to suck up the frustrations and continue to lead the Cavaliers when he returns sometime after the New Year.
Love Is Dealing with Everything as Best as He Can
Recently, The Athletic ran a story on Kevin Love with an update of his return to the team. Right now, Love is on track to return sometime in December. By then, the Cavaliers could very well be bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference. But despite going from the league’s runner-ups to missing the postseason, Love is going to try his best to just forget about all of the front office moves, and play his game.
“Like the rest of the team’s veterans, he was upset by the turn in direction of the franchise and spent some time away for the first few weeks following surgery, but wants to stay in Cleveland and has not asked for a trade.”
This past offseason, Love inked a deal with the Cavs that would keep in Cleveland for the next four seasons. Just a couple of months after that everything fell apart. Will Kevin Love ask for a trade? So far, no. And as for the Cavaliers, they don’t plan on dealing him either. It will be interesting to see what would happen if a team did attempt to take Love off of the Cavs hands. But a team would most likely have to initiate the first move for a deal.
As of right now, Kevin Love is going to remain the face of the Cavaliers unless something unexpected happens. When they extended the star in the offseason, they viewed Love as the teams captain and leader for years to come. Now, the plan will have to be building around Love starting in the 2019 offseason. If he’s still on board with the plans, of course.