The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a massive trade for Russell Westbrook on the day of the 2021 NBA Draft and now every Laker fan is wondering what is next with the team and how Rob Pelinka is going to build out a roster.
Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis take up over $120 million of the salary alone and the rest of the roster is going to have to be minimum contracts and (hopefully) the re-signed Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker.
The team can’t even use the mid-level exception as that would put them over the tax apron, which they can’t do if they use the MLE.
All the potential free-agent targets are cheap options and there is one cheap option that makes a lot of sense for the Lakers: Kevin Love. It may sound crazy, but all signs are pointing to Love being a Laker in no time.
Why Kevin Love will soon join the Los Angeles Lakers:
1. Kevin Love is likely going to get bought out
It might be this offseason or it might be after the trade deadline. The question really is not if, but when.
Kevin Love does have two more seasons under contract in Cleveland but as we saw with Detroit and Blake Griffin, a two-year buyout is definitely possible. With Evan Mobley now on the roster, Love is only taking minutes from the young core that is the future of the team. He does not help Cleveland at all anymore.
The Cavaliers are not going to find a trade partner that is willing to take on Love’s contract. They could not find one for Andre Drummond and it is the exact same thing with Love. They may hold onto him until the deadline hoping someone will be desperate, but it won’t happen.
So in reality, there is a chance that we don’t see Kevin Love in the purple and gold until February/March. But we can be certain that he will actually be in the purple and gold when the buyout does happen for two more specific reasons.
1. Kevin Love is connected to not just one, but two members of the Los Angeles Lakers
The first player that fans may think of when it comes to Kevin Love is LeBron James. LeBron and Love won a championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Love, despite being third banana, had a big moment in that Game 7 clincher by shutting down Stephen Curry.
Being a former teammate of LeBron is a natural in for Kevin Love. Players not only have to get used to the way that LeBron plays the game but all of the added attention that surrounds a LeBron team as well.
We have seen teams trade away role players that just did not mesh well with what LeBron wanted to do in the past. Love knows exactly what it takes to be on a LeBron-led team and still seems to have a good relationship with James.
That is not the only connection that Love has on the Lakers, though. Love was teammates with Russell Westbrook at UCLA and those two seem to still have a great relationship as well.
This aspect could be even more intriguing for Love as he has not gotten the chance to play with Westbrook in the NBA. There will be several contending teams vying for his services and an opportunity like this is exactly the kind of thing that would sway his decision to the Lakers instead of Brooklyn or another contender.
But what about from the Los Angeles Lakers’ side of things? Love has to at least make sense on this team, right?
3. Kevin Love would be a solid fit on the Los Angeles Lakers
We already covered the cheap aspect of the situation and how the Los Angeles Lakers are not the most flexible when it comes to the contracts they can sign this offseason. Love checks that box and he is an overqualified minimum guy, even if he is no longer prime Kevin Love.
This would be more than the Lakers simply getting a former all-star at an extreme discount since he would still be getting paid by Cleveland. This would be the Lakers getting a former all-star that actually fits the team quite nicely.
The Lakers have to build out the roster after the Westbrook trade. The biggest thing the team needs is shooting, but is also needs depth at both the center and power forward position.
If the Lakers can get members of the front court that can help with the floor spacing that would be huge. There are cheap options, such as Carmelo Anthony, that could play the four in certain situations and add that.
Love is a traditional frontcourt player that could not only space the floor but can also bring the traditional things you want from your frontcourt: rebounding and rim protection. Love is by no means an elite rebounder or shot-blocker but he is better than Carmelo Anthony.
Love’s efforts in recent years have not been that great but on a contender he is bound to try more and have a more positive impact. Just look at Blake Griffin last season.
Love is a guy that the Lakers can give 25 minutes off the bench and can trust in a playoff game not to self-destruct. That is really great value considering the options they have this offseason.