CLEVELAND — As the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to deal with the aftermath of LeBron James' departure to the Los Angeles Lakers, one member of the Wine and Gold has reached out to his former teammate.
Forward Kevin Love appeared at Sports Illustrated's 'Fashionable 50' event on Thursday night and was asked about his reaction to James' move to the Lakers.
“I was in the Hamptons and I was sitting next to a couple really good friends, and I just looked down at my phone and said ‘Oh, Bron just signed a $154 million contract with the Lakers,’” Love explained in a red carpet interview. “I said ‘Ok, gotta make a few calls,’ so I stepped out and that was that. Texted him later that night, told him I loved him, told him I appreciated him and good luck.”
James and Love had a very unique relationship during their four years together in Cleveland. During the first season in 2014-15 as Love was trying to figure out his place on the team, James directed this at Love on social media:
Despite that turbulent first year, Love met with James in Los Angeles after the season and committed to stay with the Cavs by signing a long-term contract.
The Cavaliers, led by their 'Big 3' of James, Love, and Kyrie Irving, went on to win the NBA Championship in 2016. Those days seem long ago now that both James and Irving are gone.
The question looming over the Cavs as the summer progresses is will they decide to deal Love as part of a plan to start building for the future by accumulating assets and dumping salary. Or will they keep their All-Star forward and team him with youngsters like Collin Sexton, Larry Nance, and Jordan Clarkson.
