Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love, watching the NBA Finals from the sidelines because of season-ending surgery on his shoulder, is not wavering about being back in Cleveland next season.
Watching his team face the Golden State Warriors has reiterated Love’s desire to win a championship with LeBron James and the Cavs.
“I had so much fun watching it because I want to be in a moment like that,” Love told ESPN on Thursday night after the Cavaliers’ 108-100 overtime loss to the Warriors. “I’d rather be out there helping those guys, and I saw a lot of places where I could help.
“I’ve never wanted to be in a game more than that one.”
Love, who had never been on a playoff team in his six prior NBA seasons, was asked whether that meant he wanted to be back in Cleveland next season.
“Yes. I want to win,” he said.
Love, who joined the Cavs after an offseason trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, has a player option for the 2015-16 season and could decide to opt out by June 30 to become a free agent.
Love has one year remaining on his contract that would pay him $16.7 million for next season. He could either negotiate a new deal with Cleveland, which could offer him a five-year contract, or test the market as an unrestricted free agent, where the most he could get is a four-year deal per the terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Despite also saying on Sunday that he expects to be back in Cleveland at the start of next season, the speculation remains where he might land.
“It’s just the way the world works now,” Love said. “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 was playing in his first-ever playoff series when he dislocated his shoulder in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics on April 26. Boston forward Kelly Olynyk pulled down on Love’s left arm and yanked it out of the socket.