Kevin Love To The Houston Rockets: Possible Or Doubtful?

Kevin Love ending up with the Houston Rockets is more likely than most believe. The unhappy All-Star has expressed his frustrations with the losing culture that has been established in Minnesota. Love will enter the final year of his contract this upcoming season, and if a deal isn’t done with the Timberwolves he will become a unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015.

There have been plenty of rumors surrounding the Kevin Love and his future. Most recently, team president and new head coach had this to say about the Love epidemic. “Just like I told (Kevin) Garnett, he didn’t have a right to be frustrated,” Saunders said during an interview with KFAN 100.3 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. “Why does any player have a right to be frustrated? You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Feb 12, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kein Love (42) goes up for a shot in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 117-90. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

“Should the team be frustrated? Yeah, the team can be frustrated. But I don’t think any one individual should be frustrated.”

Sources close to the situation have informed the media that Saunder’s move back to the bench will not impact Kevin Love’s desire/willingness to opt out of his contract with the Timberwolves and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2015.

But it is not for the lack of love (no pun intended) between the two, they have built quite the relationship with each other. Sources say, however, that Love is dying to play for a team that is a real contender for the playoffs, after missing it for the first six years of his career. Love’s concern isn’t with the coach but more so with the state of the roster.

So how does this affect the Houston Rockets? Well, the last time that Flip told this to his star player, he left. The Timberwolves are going to have to do something with Love or he will be left floundering with nothing.

Kevin McHale is the one who can get things done. His relationship with the Timberwolves runs deep. McHale started working at the franchise as a TV analyst where he was soon promoted to Assistant GM. In 1995, he was further pushed to be the Vice President of Operations and his first order of business was to hire his former University of Minnesota teammate, Flip Saunders as the head coach of the Timberwolves.

While with the Timberwolves, McHale drafted Love out of UCLA. They have had a close relationship ever since, and that certainly improves the Rockets’ chances of acquiring the All-Star.