MINNESOTA — Kevin Love could finish his NBA career where it began.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in a reunion.
“From what I understand, Kevin Love is open to coming back to Minnesota,” Krawczynski said. “I do think the Wolves have some interest in bringing him back as well. It would just be a phenomenal story if the Wolves did decide to fill that spot and they did it with Kevin Love.
“If you do look at one thing the Wolves could use, it is another veteran presence who can play some, which Kevin Love can do. But also (someone) who is that guy in the locker room who knows how to communicate with the coaches, who knows how to communicate with the players. … When you lose Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson and Joe Ingles, all of whom played big, important parts in that aspect of team building, I still think they could use another voice, another vet guy.”
Love Is One Of The Best Players In Timberwolves History
Minnesota selected Love with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA. Love appeared in 364 games with the Timberwolves. He made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams and won the 2010-11 Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Love averaged 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game with Minnesota from 2008-09 to 2013-14. He recorded 256 double-doubles.
A California native, Love is the Timberwolves’ all-time leader in rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebound percentage, total rebound percentage and offensive box plus/minus.
Love Was Traded To Cleveland In 2014
In the summer of 2014, the Timberwolves traded Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins, the first pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Love joined forces with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, forming a lethal “Big 3.”
The Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. They won the 2016 NBA Finals against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
Love was only teammates with Irving for three seasons, as Irving requested a trade from Cleveland in the summer of 2017 and was traded to the Boston Celtics.
James left the Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, while Love remained with the Wine and Gold until February 2023, when he was bought out.
Love signed with the Miami Heat after leaving Cleveland. He spent a couple of seasons in South Beach before being traded to the Utah Jazz last summer.
Timberwolves Are A Title Contender
Minnesota is a championship contender after acquiring LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets and signing Jonathan Kuminga.
The Timberwolves are expected to start Ball, Anthony Edwards, Kuminga, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert next season.
Love is currently an unrestricted free agent. He averaged 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Jazz last season in 37 games. The veteran has career averages of 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the regular season and 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Minnesota has never been to the NBA Finals in franchise history. It would certainly be a neat story to see Love return to the Timberwolves and play in the NBA Finals again.
Let’s see if it happens.
