Kevin Love: I want to return to Cleveland Cavaliers, win

Kevin Love is sidelined for the NBA Finals, but says he wants to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.

Kevin Love is watching the NBA Finals in a suit. After a dislocated shoulder in the first round ended his first career NBA Playoffs trip prematurely, the Cleveland Cavaliers power forward is now watching as his team does battle with a juggernaut Golden State Warriors team.

While the Cavs making it to the Finals despite not having Love in the lineup might seem like a bad sign regarding Love’s future in Cleveland, especially given his impending free agency this summer, that’s not the reality of the situation. In fact, it seems as if it has only fueled Love’s desire to stay a winner with the Cavaliers.

In an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne after Cleveland’s game one loss to the Warriors, Love said that he enjoyed watching the game because he wanted that moment. He then added, “I’ve never wanted to be in a game more than that one.”

The heavy-hitting question came next, though, when Love was directly asked whether or not his desire to be in game one and be a part of that kind of moment was him saying he wanted to return to Cleveland next season. Love answered succinctly, “Yes. I want to win.”

For all the speculation that’s been tossed around regarding Love and his free agency, he certainly didn’t leave any gray area on the matter with that answer. Love even went on to discuss that speculation, having this to say:

"“It’s just the way the world works now. People talk so much and might tell themselves a lie so much they start to believe it. From there, the narrative starts to change. I haven’t changed my narrative. I’m going to keep supporting these guys, and we’ll be talking to Cleveland after the season.”"

Love has a $16.7 million player option for next season. He could choose to opt-out before June 30, which would allow him to either test the open market or, as it more likely seems after his comments, to negotiate a new deal with Cleveland. The kicker would clearly be that the Cavs could offer him a five-year deal while other teams could only sign him to a four-year contract.

For those worried about Love leaving, this has to ease their minds at least slightly. Though he struggled to find his niche beside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving this season, no one is denying the power forward’s immense talent. It’s still early, but things are looking more promising for keeping this trio in Cleveland together for longer than just a single season.

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