The Cleveland Cavaliers won’t have Kevin Love in their lineup for the remainder of the playoffs because of an injured shoulder and there is reportedly a growing concern within their organization that basketball fans may have seen Love in a Cavaliers jersey for the last time.
Realistically, as valuable a player as he is, the Cavs probably can live without him, as he never really fit in and they’re succeeding without him in their series against Chicago. Here are four other situations that are better for him and his fantasy value should he hit free agency and bounce:
New York Knicks
The Knicks are supposedly very interested in landing a big name free agent center like DeAndre Jordan but it would make a lot of sense for Phil Jackson to push hard for Love as well. New York finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season thanks to injuries and inconsistent play, but they still have a franchise player in Carmelo Anthony and one of the top picks in this year’s NBA Draft. Pencil in Love, Anthony and perhaps someone like Jahlil Okafor, and suddenly the Knicks would have a big three to serve as a foundation for a championship contender for years to come.
From a fantasy perspective, playing for the Knicks should give Love all of the minutes and production he can handle. He’d be back at the top of draft boards if he makes the move to the Big Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers would offer Love a max deal as well as chance to be a central focus of their offense. Maybe more importantly, they’d offer him a return to the West Coast, which he loves so much. He’s always been a California boy.
One of the biggest reasons why Love will reportedly sign somewhere else is the fact that he feels his talents aren’t being maximized in Cleveland where he has played a secondary role behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and that certainly wouldn’t be the case with the Lakers. Los Angeles is a team in transition right now but they need a new star. Yes, they have Kobe Bryant but he’s in his twilight and they need to usher in a new era. Love is still 26 years old and he might decide he wants to become one of the faces of that franchise moving forward as they attempt to turn things around.
In terms of fantasy value, Love would do just fine in a Lakers uniform. Even though they drafted Julius Randle last season to fill their power forward void, Love would cut him in line for minutes and fantasy production.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Regardless of any other factor, the best destination for Love financially remains Cleveland where the Cavaliers could offer him one more year on a max deal than any other team. Love is still relatively young but he won’t have to think back far to remember how quickly things could change for him as far as his health goes. If the money and winning are the most important things to him, then staying in Cleveland makes sense.
In terms of fantasy value, at least drafters won’t get burned taking him next year as we’ll know what to expect. However, his fantasy value will not be maximized in Cleveland. That much we’ve come to learn.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are in a unique position since they already have Dirk Nowitzki under contract at a hometown discount and Monta Ellis making less than the maximum, leaving them with the seventh-most cap space of any NBA team. That will mean Dallas can pursue a max deal this summer with Love and land a potential starting five that features Love, Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons, Monta Ellis and either Raymond Felton or J.J. Barea. Signing with a Mavericks team that was already one of the best in the Western Conference makes sense from a financial and competitive perspective – especially when you consider he won’t have to pay a state tax and will be featured heavily in the team’s offense.
In terms of fantasy value, Dallas is a mish-mash. After seeing what happened to Rajon Rondo, keep your expectations tempered as we don’t know what will happen with Love. He’ll likely be more valuable than he is in Cleveland but don’t expect the Minnesota-like production as he’ll have lots of mouths to feed around him.
