Kevin Love has no plans to opt out of Cavaliers contract

NBA teams counting on Kevin Love to opt out and become a free agent this summer should look elsewhere, as the Cleveland Cavaliers forward announced that he doesn’t plan to do so.

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Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 19-19 and have lost five straight entering Tuesday night’s game at Phoenix. And yes, Kevin Love has had his struggles adjusting from being The Man with Minnesota to becoming a complementary piece to LeBron (when he plays) James and Kyrie Irving; yet at the end of the day, Love (for now) is pretty happy.

The ability to opt out of Cleveland after this season is Love’s version of WWE superstar Seth Rollins’ Money in the Bank briefcase, but Love, who has been hounded with questions about his cashing in this summer, said that he has no plans to swerve the Cavs.

“I think that we will figure it out here, so I don’t plan on opting out or any of that,” Love said to the Northwest Ohio Media Group. “I plan on being here.

“As far as leaving my options open, I mean sure, it’s always there,” he continued. “At the end of the day, it’s always good to have something. But no, I plan on being here.”

Considering that 19-19 would have been cause for a winter parade through downtown Minneapolis during his time with the downtrodden Timberwolves, being on a .500 team near mid-January has to feel good to Love, regardless of the expectations of immortality that many pinned on Cleveland at the start of the regular season.

As of now, Love’s Money in the Bank is a $16.7 million player option he can use following the season in a bid for a bigger payday from either the Cavs or another team (yes, the Lakers are crossing fingers, toes and telephone poles in hopes Love changes his mind). A smarter play: Love struggles and clips coupons out of the Sunday paper as he copes with life making just under $17 million next season….

…..because he could receive a more massive payday before the 2016-17 season when the NBA’s huge television contract with ESPN, ABC and TNT kicks in, which will translate into a much bigger salary cap.

Love is averaging 17.9 points and 10.5 rebounds, which are just a smidge lower than his career averages of 19.1 points and 12.5 boards per night. He still ranks ninth in the NBA in rebounding this season.

With James expected back soon and with new additions J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov slowly becoming ingrained into the rotation, there’s every reason to expect the Cavs to start rolling sooner or later. Winning does cure all ills, more so when you’re receiving $16.7 million.

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