A Woj bomb with huge implications regarding the Hawks future was dropped on Tuesday morning:
ESPN reporting with @WindhorstESPN: Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension — topping out his overall deal at five-years, $145 million, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2018
There are varying opinions regarding Love surrounding the association, and he has been the best player on some teams that have competed for top picks while he has put up empty stats. However, there is no denying this move indicates the Cleveland Cavaliers plan on being competitive this season, and that keeping Love keeps them in the mix to keep them out of the top 10.
The Hawks first rounder that they received from Cleveland for the services of Kyle Korver is top 10 protected. However, with Love locked up and the draft pick of Collin Sexton, the Cavs may not be as bad as many feared when LeBron left. Sexton is the type of player who is such a fierce competitor that the word “tank” would not register in his vocabulary. This Cleveland team is going to go out and try to win some games this season.
The Hawks seem to be just in line with the protections on their 2019 picks to receive them, but it will be close and will likely come down to the night of the lottery. It will be a long year of checking the standings for Hawks fans, but they could be looking at three lotto picks if things unfold their way.