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Kevin Love not expected to re-sign with Cavs (Report)

ByRobSabo|
Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) looks to attempt a shot next to Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) looks to attempt a shot next to Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Amid a brutal stretch with their leader on the sidelines, reports are now circulating that Kevin Love will not stay in Cleveland.

I mean, it can’t get much worse for the Cleveland Cavaliers, can it?

While mired in a terrible stretch that has seen them drop eight of their last 10 games, with their all-world leader still on the sidelines due to a bum knee, the Cavs now have to deal with rumors and reports about Kevin Love not staying in Cleveland past this season.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Jason Lloyd updated us on Love’s status with Cleveland beyond the 2014-15 NBA season. This is based on conversations he’s had with executives from around the league:

"“Love is unlikely to sign long term this summer because of the salary cap. He is expected to opt out of his current contract at the end of the season for cap purposes, but he might only sign a one-year deal to line up for what is expected to be a significant cap spike in the summer of 2016.”“Love has said all the right things about re-signing with the Cavs this summer and the Cavs continue to insist he’s here long term. 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.”"

Obviously when it rains it pours, but for an organization that could’ve had Andrew Wiggins in the fold for years to come, this is something that could turn out to be disastrous.

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Cleveland currently sits with a record of 19-18, 6.5 games behind the division leading Chicago Bulls. Rumors have also surrounded LeBron James’ unhappiness with the state of the team and head coach David Blatt’s very weak hold of the squad.

For Love, this season has seen a major decline in numbers across the board. He’s averaging only 17.1 points per game, which is a far cry from his 25.9 a season ago. He’s also shooting a very lackluster .438 percent from the field.

It’s no secret where the UCLA graduate is from, which is why the Los Angeles Lakers have always been a rumored destination for the 6-foot-10 big man.

The tricky thing that James and the Cavs will have to deal with this off-season is convincing Love not to return “home,” even though “home” was the entire theme and strategy for which James returned to Cleveland this past summer.

Cleveland would turn into “Hypocrite City” should they get angry over Love leaving their city to return “home.” Meanwhile, in Minnesota, number-one overall pick Andrew Wiggins is already coming into his own as a major force in this league.

James will rue the day that he decided to trade away Wiggins for Love. In two or three years when he’s getting a little long in the tooth, the Cavs will now have nobody to be “the man” to shoulder most of the load. Wiggins would have been perfect for that, allowing youth and athleticism to remain fresh on the roster.

Sometimes the move you don’t make turns out to be best.

H/T to Bleacher Report.

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