The Minnesota Timberwolves have an open roster spot at the end of the bench and some believe it would be perfect for Kevin Love. The former All-Star is on the back end of his career, and with a team looking for veteran leadership, Love would be a great addition to guide the Wolves into next season.
Of course, it takes two sides to make a deal happen, and Love’s past with the Wolves may make things difficult. But The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski believes there’s interest on both sides as Love remains a free agent and it could lead to a reunion that many wouldn’t have believed a few years ago.
“From what I understand, Kevin Love is open to coming back to Minnesota. I do think the Wolves have some interest in bringing him back as well,” Krawczynski said on the latest episode of The Jon Krawczynski Show. “...I know the fans would like to have him back. It would be a statement from ownership, like, ‘Hey, we’re willing to pay a little bit more money to have a 15th spot [on the roster] and to do it for one of the guys who spent six years here and was an All-Star and we’ve repaired that relationship with Kevin Garnett. Let’s do it with Kevin Love as well.”
Kevin Love’s interest in a return hints at a repaired relationship with Timberwolves
While Garnett is unquestionably the Timberwolves’ greatest player of all-time, Love is in the next tier. The fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Love was acquired in a draft night trade in exchange for O.J. Mayo and turned himself into an All-Star. In six years in Minnesota, Love averaged 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and he ranks third in franchise history with 4,453 rebounds and sixth with 6,989 points.
Although he was one of the most talented players on the team, his relationship with the Timberwolves fell through after former president of basketball operations David Kahn opted to save his max contract spot for Ricky Rubio. Former Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor also took shots at Love after he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, questioning whether he was a true star player and the constant losing piled up, leaving Love to construct the second act of his career.
Much like Garnett, Love’s wounds took time to heal, and he became a champion in the process, winning the title with LeBron James and the Cavaliers during the 2015-16 season and going on to play for the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz in the past few seasons.
To see Love come back to Target Center and get an ovation from fans would be another step in repairing the relationship between the franchise and one of its star players. But it also makes plenty of sense from a basketball standpoint.
Kevin Love would bring the leadership that the Timberwolves need
The Timberwolves have an electric roster going into next season, but it’s lacking veteran leadership. While Anthony Edwards has stepped up in that role by organizing a team trip to Paris, the Wolves lost significant voices in the locker room this summer, including Mike Conley, who departed for the Boston Celtics in free agency, and Joe Ingles, who left to sign with Melbourne United of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL).
Love is not an All-Star player anymore, entering his age 38 season and averaging 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 37 games with the Jazz last year. But Krawczynski notes he’s still a presence in the locker room and one that can still play if injuries hit the roster.
“I just think that there’s a lot that could be really beneficial, including, if some emergency happens from an injury standpoint, and you need Kevin Love to play some minutes. I think you can still do that,” Krawczynski said. “I think there’s some other guys they are looking at as well…but certainly, if you're just looking at the pure story of it, the idea of Kevin Love coming back for a Minnesota reunion for his last time, maybe his last season or something like that, it would be pretty, pretty cool to see all that happen.”
While Love’s return would be great for basketball reasons, it likely wouldn’t have happened if he was still upset with the franchise. And with the Timberwolves in a championship window, Love’s return could be more than a pipe dream as Minnesota looks to fill its final roster spot.
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