Cavs Rumors: Breaking Down Latest on Kevin Love, Additional Free-Agency Plans

To say the next few weeks surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers will prove interesting might be the understatement of the offseason. 

The Cavaliers turned in a quality draft last week that helped to improve the depth issue that reared its ugly head in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, most notably taking Rakeem Christmas in the second round.

For fans, the focus has always been free agency, though, and it will continue to be with both Kevin Love and LeBron James out in the wild.

A storm of rumblings and hearsay are on the way, so it's best to get ahead of them by looking at the latest offerings below.

Free-Agency Plans

It's not hard to see where things fell apart for the Cavaliers in the postseason.

One issue was the point guard position after Kyrie Irving went down with a knee injury. Matthew Dellavedova won the hearts and minds of fans a little while later, but in doing so, he wound up in the hospital with cramps and was never the same.

At shooting guard, Iman Shumpert and others didn't do much in the way of taking pressure off of James in the scoring department.

It makes sense, then, that Fox Sports' Sam Amico has been hearing that those two slots are a priority for the Cavaliers:

The strategy in the draft seemed to lean closer to the basket, so it makes sense guards will be the focus when the floodgates of free agency open.

With a new free-agency class on the horizon, it won't be hard for the Cavaliers to reel in the necessary talent, so long as the front office can pitch a contending squad featuring both Love and James.

About that...

The Scoop on Love

In today's zany speculation-driven NBA, Love has been one of the main focal points of questions and whispers for most of the season.

Everyone knew Love could opt out, and 99 percent figured he would. Those feelings only intensified when he got off to an odd start while playing second fiddle to James and Irving, then ended his campaign on a sour note with a freak shoulder injury.

Then there was the opt-out.

It's easy to think Love could walk. He's still a max-deal sort of player, especially on the open market. He's just 26 years old and might just be the kind of guy who wants to be a centerpiece, not fall behind others.

According to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer, though, the Cavaliers have a way to turn things back in their favor, if it's even necessary to do so:

"

Look for the Cavaliers to offer maximum contracts to both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. The two deals will be different because they are at different stages of their career. Love can receive a five-year deal in the $100 million range. The Cavs think Love will give it serious consideration.

"

The note about Tristan Thompson there is interesting but expected after the 24-year-old center posted sporadic strong performances flashing elite upside.

But this is about Love, who was already pretty clear about his future intentions at the end of May, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

Unless Love gets blown away by something another team can offer—and they will offer, with franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics coming to mind—then it sounds like the star big man made up his mind ages ago.

LeBron Visits?

Strap in, Cavaliers fans—this might happen year after year after year.

James opted out of his contract and created perhaps an even bigger freak-out than when Love did the same, but it seems a formality at this point, more of a business move than a career one.

So while it may be easy to pull a little hair and wonder what would happen if James took a few visits with other teams, Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group has sources saying there's nothing to worry about:

It's all about the money when it comes to James opting out.

NBA.com's John Schuhmann explains it best, citing simple league rules about salary and how James and his representatives are making the most of them, even if it does cause Cavaliers fans to gray a little quicker than an average person:

"

James’ option for the 2015-16 season was for a little less than $21.6 million. A new contract this summer (for a player with at least 10 years in the league) could start at at maximum of about $22.0 million. (We’ll know the exact number when the 2015-16 salary cap is officially announced on or around July 8.) That’s not a huge raise (especially when you take income taxes into account), but it’s worth the paperwork.

James will have much more incentive to become a free agent in 2016 and 2017, when the salary cap is expected to make two big jumps, thanks to the new TV contract.

"

So yes, this is going to happen a few more times, folks.

There's another reason for all of this, though. While it's unfathomable to think the Cavaliers wouldn't surround the King with the best possible roster and spend every last penny to do so, call this a bit of insurance on James' part. His almost annual trips to the market mean the front office will work droves of overtime to keep the roster in tip-top shape.

Like Love, all of the noise may still prove rather anticlimactic with everything surrounding James a formality. Then again, it may not, and that makes the Cavaliers one of the most important teams to watch this offseason.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.