The Cavaliers Are Kevin Love's Team Now

With the Cavaliers’ title hopes whisked away by the hand of LeBron James, the Cavs were presented with an easy opportunity to clear the roster and start over. That would have started with them trading Kevin Love, the last remaining star on the team, who had one year left on his deal. But trade destinations for Love either never materialized or were never considered in the first place, and now the Cavs have gone in the opposite direction, doubling down and deciding to build their gutted team around Love. Today they signed him to a four-year, $120 million extension that will keep him in Cleveland until 2023.

So now the Cavs head into the future guided by Love, Collin Sexton, and a few dusty boxes that LeBron left in the attic.

On the bright side, Love’s first season outside the shadows of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could mean the return of those 30-30 games and 26-12 seasons we grew accustomed to when he was The Guy on those horrible Timberwolves teams. He’s dealt with a litany of knee and back injuries since then, so this may be a pipe dream, but it would certainly be more fun to watch than all the standing in the corner he’s done the last few seasons. While we’re at it, can we please go back to doughy Kevin Love, too? Doughy Kevin Love was fun.