NBA Rumors: Kevin Love Shoots Down Move To LA Lakers in 2015; Insists Minnesota Timberwolves Better Team
All-Star power forward Kevin Love said his current team, Minnesota Timberwolves, has better chances to win than the Los Angeles Lakers, the burly double-double machine said during an interview with Steve Marsh of GQ Magazine.
Love is having another stellar season as he's averaging at least 26 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. He has been linked to a potential move to the Lakers when he becomes an unrestricted free-agent in 2015.
Several weeks ago, a report from CBS Sports NBA insider Ken Berger indicated Love's plan to opt out from the final year of his deal with the Timberwolves and join the 17-time NBA champion in the summer of 2015, as stated by an Eastern Conference front-office executive.
The New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls have also expressed interest in getting Love, while the Boston Celtics is another possible destination for one of the most dominant big men in the league today.
No Love in Hollywood
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine writer Steve Marsh, Love pointed out that he's currently having fun with his current team despite reports of displeasure for the T-Wolves' struggle to crack into the elites of the Western Conference.
Love added that people are just speculating too much about his future free-agency destination, adding the Wolves are better team and have better foundation than the Lakers, who are currently on a rebuilding mode.
"People think it's so far-fetched that I would stay in Minnesota," Love told GQ. "And I'm not shitting on the Lakers, but we have the better team, the better foundation. I'm having fun." Note the present tense.
The Lakers have been planning to use their salary cap space in 2015, where big time free-agents such as Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler and Love will be up for grabs. The franchise is also targeting OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant, who will become a free-agent in 2016.
"They do like Cleveland forward Luol Deng but don't want to overpay for him this summer, meaning their eyes are firmly on Kevin Love in July 2015 and Kevin Durant in 2016," Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times.