NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Kevin Love Demands Max Contract; LeBron James, Kyrie Irving Force Richard Jefferson Retirement

By Mitch de Leon
NBA: Finals-Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) speaks with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) following the 93-89 victory in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.  Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still high from the 2016 NBA Championship win over the Golden State Warriors. While the LeBron James squad celebrates their victory over Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the champs' front office are said to be in the process of figuring out how to best handle the roster for the next NBA season. Among the contracts studied by the Cleveland Cavaliers execs, the Kevin Love max deal is said to be taking top priority.

The Golden State Warriors faced a shocking Game 7 defeat in the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2015-16 NBA Finals. Although the basketball community largely attributed the win to LeBron James, who now managed to fulfill his promise made when he left the Miami Heat to go back to his hometown and win a championship, the JR Smith team recognizes the significant of Kevin Love in the crucial points of the game. Following a remarkable performance from the former Minnesota Timberwolves star, the NBA trade rumors surrounding ceased as well.

"And everyone burying him alive throughout The Finals ... to respond in Game 7 like he did, that's what real men do," shared LeBron James of Kevin Love. The Cleveland Cavaliers leader added, "We talk about The Shot (Kyrie Irving's 3-pointer). We talk about The Block (James blocking Andre Iguodola's layup). But The Stop, that was on a two-time MVP, by the way."

In the final minutes of the championship match, Kevin Love went head to head against Stephen Curry. While the Golden State Warriors MVP attempted to outrun the Cleveland Cavaliers star, it became immediately clear to the Klay Thompson squad that Kevin Love had no intention of allowing Curry to take any shot. This resulted in a failed three-point attempt by the 2015-16 NBA season MVP.

Will the performance of Kevin Love in the 2015-16 NBA Finals be enough to convince the Cleveland Cavaliers to give him a max deal? The answer appears quite promising.

"We've been really fortunate," said David Griffin. The Cleveland Cavaliers general manager added, "Ownership has invested in this group to such a huge degree. When we were the largest taxpayer in the league last year and I think the second highest ever, there were times during the year where I felt really, really bad about spending that much of their money. I do think you saw the core of our team, it fits together and it's capable of doing some very special things and I do think we would like to keep it together."

While the NBA exec did not specifically outline the plans of the front office, Griffin hinted at the identities of the players who could be the top priorities of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Apart from LeBron James, it looks like the front office also wants to keep Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Griffin further noted, "I expect you're going to see better play from Kyrie Irving who I think took a huge jump as both an individual talent and a winner throughout these playoffs. I think Kevin's fit with us is much more clearly defined. We intend to keep this group together and see what we're capable of."

The idea of keeping the entire Cleveland Cavaliers team is a promising thought to the fans of the NBA group. However, the salary cap will soar by the next season. Like many teams in the league today, the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to drop some stars. With Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James back onboard, who will be out?

Rumors are rife that the Cleveland Cavaliers are convincing Richard Jefferson to retire following their historic win against the Golden State Warriors. The 36-year-old forward came to the spotlight when he took on the role of Kevin Love when the latter got injured in the NBA Finals series. His surprising performance caught the attention of the Oakland fans with some even begging him to be in the crucial games instead of Love.

After their Game 7 win, Jefferson announced his retirement. However, he later on decided to un-retire and declared that he wants to play for two or three more seasons. With the salary cap rising though, speculations are rife that the Cleveland Cavaliers want him to simply stick to his first decision to avoid getting traded.

What do you think? Should the Cleveland Cavaliers sign Kevin Love to a max deal? Should Richard Jefferson just retire to give the LeBron James team some salary cap space?

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