Kevin Love Contract: Shocking Deal Makes T-Wolves Team of the Future
Just when it looked like Minnesota Timberwolves star power forward Kevin Love might be eligible for free agency this offseason, the two sides struck a deal. Not only does it ensure that Love will remain in Minnesota for at least three more seasons, but it makes the T-Wolves a potential future power.
According to Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN, Love agreed to a four-year deal worth over $60 million. Also, Love was given a player option for the fourth year of the extension so that he has an out if he doesn't like the direction of the team.
With that said, though, I'm not sure how Love can't like what he's seeing so far.
The young Timberwolves certainly aren't among the league's elite teams, but their 7-10 record this season suggests that they're making progress.
Re-signing Love certainly reaffirms that he is the undisputed cornerstone of the franchise. Few interior players in the game can match up with Love's season averages of 25 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Love may be the superstar, but he is far from the only exciting piece of the puzzle.
It may not be blatantly obvious exactly how all the pieces will fit together at this point, but there is a ton of talent on the team. Michael Beasley, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and Wesley Johnson can all develop into fine complementary players.
Without Love, the T-Wolves are a young, talented team with no direction. But ensuring that Love will be around for the foreseeable future gives them a fighting chance.
Add in the continued development of Top 4 picks like Williams and Johnson, as well as a dynamic playmaker like Rubio, and it's hard to imagine Minnesota not becoming a team to be reckoned with.
The play of Rubio is particularly exciting when paired with Love's scoring prowess. Rubio is just 21 years old, although he played in Spain professionally for quite some time before finally making the jump to the NBA.
He's only a rookie, but is already averaging nearly 11 points and 8.5 assists per contest. He's precisely the type of player who will mesh well with Love moving forward.
As a small-market team, the Timberwolves are obviously at a disadvantage in terms of being able to pay out large contracts. Because of that, I think many were expecting Love to be another in a long line of elite players to leave a lower-level team for greener pastures.
Although $60 million-plus certainly aided his decision, you have to give Love some credit as he was willing to be a part of the rejuvenation of the Timberwolves.
Keeping Love alone isn't going to be enough to make the T-Wolves true contenders as the other players have to improve as well, but it's obviously a major step in the right direction. In today's NBA, where super teams like the Miami Heat are built through free agency, it's refreshing to see Minnesota draft, grow and keep its own players.
I think that philosophy will ultimately work out for the Timberwolves down the line, and I hope it does for the league's sake.
