Kevin Love may finally be getting the offer he has been waiting for from the Timberwolves. League sources are saying the TWolves are now prepared to offer Love a max deal, or at the very least a 4 year deal for max type money. But have they slighted Kevin Love by taking so long to make an offer? He may be asking himself why it took him ‘playing out of his mind‘ this season before the Wolves finally make him an offer. That said the offer is still not officially on the table…
Unresolved is whether it will be a four-year contract approaching $61 million or a maximum five-year “designated player” deal surpassing $78 million.
The NBA’s new labor agreement allows every team one designated player — a player ending his rookie contract who receives a five-year maximum-salary contract extension — on their roster. (Source)
You might be asking yourself why the Wolves would be concerned over offering either a 4 or 5 year deal at this point. It’s because under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can only have one “designated player” max contract player on their team at once. The Wolves want to leave open the possibility of using that type of contract on Rubio when the time is necessary.
They may be planning to go to Love with their dilemma and ask him if he’s willing to take the 4 year deal instead of the 5 year deal so that he can have a chance to be paired up with Rubio in Minnesota long term. It’s an interesting situation. From a business perspective Love would likely tell them to shove it given how valuable he is to the Wolves right now and given his strong negotiating position of being able to just walk for nothing in 2013.
But putting business aside, Love may look at the situation and agree that the most important thing for being a part of a winning team long term is to take the $61m over 4 years.
