Love agrees to re-sign with T-Wolves

By Paul Levine Jan 25, 2012, 21:14 GMT

Los Angeles - Kevin Love will remain with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the All-Star forward agreed Wednesday to a four-year contract extension worth nearly 60 million dollars.

'I'm definitely happy to get it done, it's a weight off my shoulders,' Love said in a Wednesday conference call from Dallas, where the T-Wolves were preparing to face the Mavericks.

'I'm happy to be a Minnesota Timberwolf for the next four years. (I'm) happy for my coaches, happy for my teammates, happy for the fans and happy for myself and my family.'

The Timberwolves got the deal done hours before the Wednesday night deadline for players of the 2008 draft class to ink contract extensions. Otherwise, Love would have become a restricted free agent this summer.

'I am happy for Kevin, who deserves to have the financial security that this contract affords him,' Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn said. 'Kevin has worked extremely hard to earn this and we are thrilled that he'll be with us for many years to come.'

Italian-native Danilo Gallinari also had a big pay day after the Denver Nuggets' sharpshooting small forward agreed to a four-year contract extension worth 42 million dollars to remain with club, the Denver Post reported.

Originally Love wanted a five-year deal in the neighborhood of 80 million dollars but the Timberwolves were not interested. So the sides compromised on an opt-out clause after three seasons, which would allow Love to seek the same five-year pact following the 2015-16 season.

'For me, I'm looking at it as glass half full,' he said. 'Did I want the five years? Of course. It was something I felt strongly about but at the end of the day a four-year deal is still great.'

A shorter contract allows Love to offer his services to other NBA teams or re-sign with the Timberwolves, depending on whether he's satisfied with the progress made by the young Timberwolves.

'Definitely keeping my options open,' said Love, who has averaged 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds per game this season. 'I want to see where this team is going to head. I want to continue for us to keep getting better. I feel that we are and we will get there. But at the same time with this early termination I can still extend as well.'

'Kevin's decision to commit to the Timberwolves for several more years is, I hope, validation that our team is headed in the right direction,' Kahn said. 'Kevin is the cornerstone of this team and somebody who I believe all Minnesotans can admire for his hard work and effort.'