Timberwolves get their way as Kevin Love accepts four-year offer
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Kevin Love wanted a five-year deal from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the end, the All-Star forward elected to take the four-year offer the team had put on the table but not before getting something in return.
Love agreed to a contract Wednesday that will pay him between $60 and $62 million, but that also enables him to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent after the third season in 2014-15.
"Did I want the five years? Of course," said Love, who was in Dallas for the Wolves' game against the Mavericks on Wednesday night. "But at the end of the day, the four-year deal was still great, and I'm going to keep excelling and keep improving myself. I've always played with a chip on my shoulder and that's not going to change."
The announcement of the agreement came before Wednesday's 11 p.m. deadline for Love to sign an extension. If that hadn't happened, the fifth pick in the 2008 draft would have become a restricted free agent in July and the wheels could have been set in motion for him to hit the open market after the 2012-13 season.
The long-held belief was that Love would sign the five-year maximum contract worth upwards of $80 million and become the one "designated player" the Wolves are allowed to sign during the new collective bargaining agreement.
The Wolves, though, refused to give Love a five-year deal and stood firm on their offer of a four-year max-salary contract. Love made it clear during a conference call with reporters that the length of the contract was up to "the front office," mentioning both owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn.
Love and agent Jeff Schwartz said the only way they would accept a four-year deal was if there was a player option following the third year. That means Love could become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 26.
He also will have the opportunity to sign an extension after the 2014-15 season that could increase the deal to six years.
By signing Love to the shorter contract, the Wolves keep their designated player slot available for either Ricky Rubio or Derrick Williams. Both are in their rookie seasons.
Love, meanwhile, will get a chance to see where the Wolves are at before deciding whether to bolt or sign the potential extension. The Wolves haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and had been one of the NBA's worst franchises in recent seasons.
That seems to have changed with the addition of players such as Rubio and Williams and new coach Rick Adelman.
"The early termination keeps my options open and I want to see where this team is going to head," Love said. "I feel that we are (headed in the right direction), and that we'll get there. I'm not thinking about (the length of the contract) too much. I'm looking at this as a four-year deal and we'll go from there."
Love, who scored 39 points and had 12 rebounds in the Wolves' 107-92 loss to Houston on Monday, is averaging 24.9 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists this season and has developed into the team's top player. Love also leads the NBA with an average of 39.4 minutes.
Love joins Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook as players from the 2008 draft class to get extensions. Both Rose and Westbrook were signed for five years.
Love refused to compare his situation to Rose or Westbrook's.
"Derrick is in Chicago and home," Love said. "With Russell, they're going to contend for the Western Conference Finals. They're in totally different positions. With us we have to add a few more pieces and maybe bring in another free agent who will get the five years."
The Wolves and Love's camp had kept the talks of an extension extremely quiet leading up to the deadline. Love, though, admitted it became a trying process in recent days as the deadline neared.
"The whole time throughout the negotiations I stayed a step removed," he said. "I didn't want it to affect my play, so I left it in the hands of my agent. I just kept my nose to the grindstone and tried to win basketball games. In the last couple of days, it was weighing pretty heavily on me because I was sick the past week and it came down to crunch time. I'm just glad it's all over now."
