NBA Trade Rumors: Kevin Love Not Committing to the Minnesota Timberwolves?

In a recent article on Lakers Nation, Daniel Buerge speculated about the possibility of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love joining the Los Angeles Lakers:

"Obviously the Lakers are already set at the power forward position with Pau Gasol," admitted Buerge, "but Love’s ties to southern California make it an interesting proposition. Love, who went to UCLA for one year before entering the NBA Draft, probably wouldn’t be against a return to Los Angeles."

Would Love really leave Minnesota if offered a contract? According to a source on SportingNews.com, the Timberwolves can actually afford to offer Love a more tantalizing deal than most teams. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, Minnesota holds the resources to offer the All Star forward up to an $80 million deal.

While the California native certainly had reason to be disgruntled over the abysmal last two seasons, I find it hard to believe that he would want to leave now. With the addition of the Ricky Rubio, No. 2 draft pick Derrick Williams and former NBA champion J.J. Barea, Love finally has the support of a team that shows serious potential.

In addition, Minnesota brought in veteran coach Rick Adelman, who not only has an impressive track record but also boasts a long-time connection with Love. Adelman's son played basketball with Love at an Oregon high school, so the coach has been watching the forward play for years. According to Sporting News, Adelman's hiring was "a big step toward persuading Love to sign a long-term contract extension."

We certainly hope so.

Love lost 25 pounds over the extended offseason, and he's having a monster year so far. At this point, he is the only player in the NBA who has registered a double-double in every game. He’s averaging 26.1 points and 14.9 rebounds.

When asked in an interview with 1500ESPN.com who is the better forward between himself and Blake Griffin, Love responded:

“I believe I'm the best '4' in the league. I think you have to believe that you're the best. I think Mohammad Ali even said, 'I was the greatest before I knew I was.' I think everybody needs to have that mindset. That's part of winning the mind game from the very start. You have to believe it. You have to hold yourself accountable."

Some question whether Love, who is obviously confident in his status in the league, will choose to stay in the Midwest even if Minnesota offers him a large contract deal. However, he continues to give rather ambiguous information about where he'll be taking—or keeping—his talents.

“I don't know the answer to that at this point," Love said in the 1500ESPN.com interview. "It's all in my agent's (Jeff Schwartz) hands. People can speculate and say what they want, but I will just go out there, play basketball, and help this team win."

You can follow me on Twitter @lilshortie2712