Cleveland Cavaliers: Can They Keep Kevin Love And Tristan Thompson?
The Ideal Scenario
Having this discussion now, before the Finals have even started, probably feels a bit mature. But it’s worth knowing what’s at stake in this series before it takes place, especially since we’ve been building up to Love’s free agency since he first joined the Cavs.
The idea that the Cavaliers are a better team without Love’s floor spacing and rebounding is a ridiculous one, even with Thompson’s emergence and Cleveland’s improved defense. Keep in mind, it took LeBron’s Big Three one season to mesh for the Miami Heat before they won a title. Love deserves more time to come into his own in a reduced role.
Thompson’s rise to prominence (or at least, relevance) makes it seem like Love’s expendable. But if the Warriors make short work of the Cavs in the Finals and it becomes blatantly obvious that Cleveland needs more help (which I believe is exactly what will happen), re-signing Kevin Love becomes priority No. 1.
And even if they do win, why not strengthen a team that’s already good enough to win a title?
Remember, the Cavaliers sacrificed the rights to Andrew Wiggins to acquire Love. Letting him go after one season, even if it results in a championship sans Love, wouldn’t be ideal. The Cavaliers were 7.9 points per 100 possessions better than their opponent with Love on the floor this season (per NBA.com), and giving him more time to “fit in” is the best option.
Ideally, Cleveland will sign Love to a long-term deal that won’t look as bad a few seasons down the line, Smith will opt in and the Cavs will keep Shumpert and Delly on moderately priced deals, knowing that the luxury tax is the price you pay to contend for rings. As for Thompson, they may have to just overpay to keep him, especially since he already turned down $13 million a year.
Win or lose, the Cavaliers have created the sense that if they can bring everyone back, they have the opportunity to rule the Eastern Conference for years to come. But no matter what happens in these Finals, the Cavaliers have quite a few hurdles to overcome in order to keep — and balance — their two power forwards.
And rest assured, if the Cavs fall short winning their first NBA championship this year, the key to finally bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy to the city of Cleveland will be finding a way to keep at least Love around.
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