Kevin Love insists ‘nothing’s changed’ amid latest round of trade talks in Cleveland
Kevin Love is once again at the center of trade talks within the Cleveland Cavaliers organization — one that is struggling badly to win so far this season.
Yet even with the uncertainty that now comes with the rumors, Love isn’t phased.
“Nothing’s changed,” Love said Monday, via ESPN. “What I mean by that is, since I got here they’ve been … since I f--king got here, there’s been talk of me being traded, so it’s nothing different. If they decide to go that way, I’ve just got to know it’s part of the business, or if we decide to go that way, it’s part of the business.
“Truthfully, I don’t know how it’s going to play out, because I see both sides.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that the Cavaliers are “ready now to listen to offers” for the five-time All-Star, and that they have already drawn possible interest from the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, among others.
Love has averaged 16.1 points and 10.5 rebounds in 18 games for Cleveland this year, though that has led them to just a 5-18 record — better only than the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference. The 31-year-old is playing in the first year of a four-year, $120 million extension he signed before the 2018-19 season, and will carry an annual cap hit around $30 million through the end of that deal.
Given the current state of the Cavaliers — and the rest of the league — Love gets why trading him away could be beneficial for the organization in the long run.
“I imagine, in a rebuild, it’s easy to look at it, especially when it’s down and out at this point, and say, ‘Hey, we want to completely reset the deck and go young,’” Love said, via ESPN. “I understand that.”
Surviving a struggling Cavaliers team
While Love may be putting up solid numbers, things are not going well in Cleveland overall.
The Cavaliers have lost 13 of their last 14 games, including a 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Monday. Players are reportedly upset with first-year head coach John Beilein over his collegiate coaching style, too. They have called out the longtime Michigan coach’s lack of versatility on offense, a broader lack of understanding of the NBA game and are upset with his use of animal terminology when creating plays.
Though it’s one thing to be on a losing team at the bottom of the league, it’s another to be there after being at the top of the basketball world just a few seasons prior. Love — who went to four straight NBA Finals with the Cavaliers — has truly seen the full spectrum of the league in Cleveland.
“It’s tough to go from that level, and really playing for something, to this,” Love said, via ESPN. “I think that’s natural, to be really frustrated. I’m in my 12th year. I’m the oldest guy on the team at 31. I’m the vet, I still feel great … it’s just different, not feeling that for a while, and expecting things to go different.”
Regardless of where he ends up, be that in Cleveland or elsewhere, Love isn’t giving up just yet.
As long as he’s on the court somewhere, he wants to win.
“I think there’s still that real push in the back, and that drive to win and be the best that I can be, and get the most out of myself,” Love said, via ESPN. “But I think in times like this, it’s really hard. And I think that’s natural.
“But you just have to find ways to push through it. Because if not, what the hell is the point?”
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