Report: Love holds no ill will toward Olynyk, Celtics
The Boston Celtics may still be in the Kevin Love sweepstakes after all.
After speculation that Kelly Olynyk's role in ending Love's season prematurely may have thrown a wrench into a potential Celtics free-agent pitch to Love, NBA.com's David Aldridge reports that the Cavs big man is over it.
"I'm told authoritatively that Love holds no long-lasting ill will toward either the Celtics or Olynyk," Aldridge wrote Monday.
The Celtics were one of the teams rumored to be in the running to acquire Love in a trade last summer, before LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers swooped in with a package built around back-to-back No. 1 overall picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.
Boston, a surprising young team with cap space and trade assets but no clear foundational star, is expected to be in the running again should Love decline his 2015-16 player option and opt for immediate free agency instead - especially if it's true that Olynyk's elbow yank heard 'round the world is no longer working against the Celts, even though Love won't take a meeting to hear an apology.
Love's individual numbers took a hit in his first season with the Cavs, as he filled a complementary role behind All-Stars James and Kyrie Irving, and perhaps wasn't used optimally. However, the 26-year-old remains an All-Star-caliber talent capable of posting prodigious numbers.
Love averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013-14, posting a stellar PER of 26.97.