Kevin Love could end up leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after just one season, but could a reunion with Russell Westbrook be in his future?
For the better part of the last two seasons, there have been endless rumors that Kevin Love is going to end up with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s not a matter of if he might consider signing, it’s a hard fact that Love is L.A. bound in the near future.
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Of course, nothing is official until it’s official but signs are starting to point towards not only Love moving out to Los Angeles, but one of his UCLA teammates as well.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhosrt, there is a very real possibility that Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook could team up in free agency and both sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016.
Should Kevin Love/Russell Westbrook Team Up With Lakers?
It’s no secret that Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook have a tight relationship, as Love’s recent comments about Westbrook being the MVP favorite have spoken to that. But the idea of them on the same team is dangerous for teams looking for ways to stop them and it’s not something that will end well for most opponents.
Westbrook is the best point guard in basketball right now, and Love is being cast off into a third-option role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Could you imagine a lineup that has Russell Westbrook balling hard with a fully functional — and happy — Kevin Love as his side kick?
That’s a dangerous dynamic duo to picture and that’s why Love and Westbrook might considering this type of a move together.
Will Kevin Love/Russell Westbrook Team Up With Lakers?
They could team up but will they? That’s the big question as a lot of things could happen between now and Westbrook hitting free agency in 2016. Everything hinges on that as Love could be gone this summer but will need to wait on Westbrook for an entire year to join him in Los Angeles — assuming that’s where he signs.
Between now and then, if the Thunder are tipped off to this plan they could do any number of things from filing charges of tampering against the Lakers to giving Westbrook a ridiculous amount of money in a max contract offer. The X-Factor in all of this is a guy who isn’t going to be part of the end result — Kevin Durant. If the Thunder want to max out Westbrook, they need to consider what will happen with Durant that very same offseason. Is there money to max them both out? Will either of them even be open to the idea of tying up so much money between the two of them?
Oklahoma City could also win a title between now and then, something that keeps Russell Westbrook invested in OKC. It could also drive him to want to win in Los Angeles and take over the legacy of Kobe Bryant. There are so many moving parts in this that it’s hard to say whether or not this is actually possible, but Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook teaming up in Los Angeles is something very real that we all need to start considering as a reality.
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