15 Potential Lakers free agent targets with ties to LeBron James
By Tyler Watts
5. Kevin Love
LeBron James returned to Cleveland in the summer of 2014, and there was immediate pressure to build a championship team around him. He won two rings in Miami and was the best player in the league. The Cavs had Kyrie Irving but won just 33 games the previous year.
They needed to make a splash, and the move was trading Andrew Wiggins, the number one overall pick, to Minnesota for Kevin Love. James played with Love in the 2012 Olympics and was eager to be his teammate in Cleveland.
The five-time All-Star developed a special bond with LeBron during their four years together. The Cavaliers were in the NBA Finals each year and won one championship. Their win over the Warriors in 2016 helped bring Kevin Durant to the Bay Area and changed the course of history. Love was part of some of the biggest moments in the NBA, which links him to King James forever.
Love stayed in Cleveland long after LeBron came to Los Angeles before spending the last season and a half in Miami on the Heat. There has been talk of him linking back up with King James, but it has not materialized. Love appears happy in Miami, but could look for a new challenge this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Kevin Love is no longer a star, but the 35-year-old still impacts the game and knows how to play off LeBron.