The Los Angles Lakers legend LeBron James has returned to practice. It seems like he is looking forward to preparing for the upcoming NBA season. The 37-year-old was seen training with the Cavaliers’ power forward and his good friend Kevin Love along with renowned basketball trainer Chris Brickley. The recent footage has given way to speculations that the Lakers could bring Love to their squad this summer. The five-time All-Star played a crucial role alongside LeBron James to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win in a seven-game NBA finals series against the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavs became the first team to win the championship after falling 3-1 behind in the final series. Thus, there is no doubt that James and Love have been close friends for a while. They played together for the Cavs from 2014 to 2018. After that, Lebron James joined the Lakers for a four-year, $153.5 million contract. Meanwhile, Love opted for a four-year $120m extension with the Cavs in the summer of 2018. Love is set to make $28m next season during his final year. With only a year left on his contract, the lakers can only go for Love in the form of a trade deal. Hence, ESPN’s trade machine suggested a Westbrook trade to the Cavs in exchange for Love and Caris LeVert under CBA rules.
The 33-year-old played 74 games for the Cavs last season and scored an average of 13.6 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Love shot 43% from the field, 39.2% from beyond the arc, and 83.8% from the free-throw line. Moreover, Kevin would be a good fit as he can create space for LeBron James and Anthony Davis with his 3-point shooting. Love scored 187 three-pointers during the 2021-22 season.
LeBron James Would Love To Have Love On The Lakers Roster
LeBron James and Kevin Love have played together for multiple seasons and led the Cavs to a championship win in 2016. Thus, there is no doubt that King James would be thrilled if the Lakers managed to pull off a trade of his former teammate. Moreover, Lebron James has a regular season record of 176-76, playing with Love.
Earlier in March, James put on a 38 points performance against the cavaliers with 11 rebounds and 12 assists. The four-time NBA champ also pulled off a monster dunk against his buddy Love during the encounter. However, Lebron James told the reporters in the post-match interview that he wanted to take it back.
The Lakers clearly need shooting options in their squad from outside the circle. And Love can do the job pretty well. He has shot 39.2% from beyond the arc throughout his career. Kevin is also familiar with the franchise as he was born in Santa Monica and graduated from UCLA. Therefore, it could be a great idea for the Lakers to pull off a deal involving Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. The franchise is hoping to get back into winning ways under new coach Darvin Ham.