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Is it best for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Love to go their separate ways in free agency? Who would have imagined this question being asked before the 2014-15 season started?

At the time, it seemed as if the sky was the limit for an offense that would feature the ball-handling skills of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James' ability to penetrate into the lane and find open shooters and Love's ability to stretch the floor, post up and deliver precise passes, including when fueling the Cavaliers' transition offense with his supreme abilities as an outlet passer. Not to mention, how lethal pick-and-pops between Love and James or Irving figured to be.

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Instead, as Irving overcame his growing pains and learned how to thrive alongside the game's best player, Love regressed from helping to give Cleveland a Big Three into being a third wheel.

According to ESPN.com, Love averaged 16.4 points per game, his lowest total since his second season in the NBA. He grabbed 9.7 rebounds, which for many players is good, but for the former fifth overall pick, it marked the first time since his rookie year that number was in the single digits.

In order to maximize James' abilities, the three-time All-Star operated less in the post, instead standing patiently at the three-point line, hoping for James to throw the ball his way. As a result, Love was less involved in the offense, it became more difficult to find a rhythm and he was no longer getting to the free-throw line as frequently as he was accustomed to, averaging 4.3 attempts from the foul line per game, the lowest amount since his rookie season.

However, when the playoffs finally arrived, it represented an opportunity for Love to turn a trying regular season into a distant memory and prove how valuable he is to Cleveland's pursuit of a championship.

Dirty or not, it didn't matter: Love's nightmare season had come to an end. With the Cavaliers one win away from the NBA Finals, his focus is on plotting the next chapter in his career.

According to Basketball Insiders, Love can exercise a $16.7 million player option to stay in Cleveland next season. It would pay him well, give him a full offseason and a second-year to mesh with Irving and James and would allow him to hit the open market when the NBA's new television contracts take effect and allegedly elevate the salary cap to unprecedented heights, according to an NBA.com article.

Of course, there's no guarantee time will make it possible for Love to play at his peak next to James. After all, when James is at his best, he is playing Love's position and operating as a point-forward. To truly make this relationship work, he would have to accept his role as a spot-up shooter, which could potentially impact how much the Cavaliers are willing to pay him.

Perhaps that is why ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst went on Zach Lowe of Grantland.com's podcast, The Lowe Post, and relayed the following message: "Every executive I talk to, every agent I talk to, every quasi-insider, every girlfriend's cousin's sister's boyfriend all says this guy is out of there."

Lowe later added the following:

"Part of what's going on there is the Lakers' boogeyman. They don't just say he's out of there; they say, 'He's going to the Lakers.' That has much to do with the fear people have of the Lakers as it does with Kevin Love."

Love, who was born in California and played his college ball at UCLA, has long been rumored to be interested in joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, L.A. recently landed the No. 2 pick in the draft and could take one of Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor (who are widely considered the top two prospects in the 2015 draft), depending on whom Love's former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, selects with the first pick.

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Offensively, the pairing of Love and Okafor has the potential to wreak havoc on opposing big men. Okafor's superlative ability when operating in the low post and his intelligence are what make him an elite prospect.

Meanwhile, the former would have more post-up opportunities than he would playing alongside James, and his three-point shooting would be the perfect compliment to Okafor's game as well as an aging Kobe Bryant's.

The problem would be playing two big men who struggle defending the pick-and-roll and don't protect the rim. For as much punishment as the duo could dole out offensively, they would be tortured at the other end.

Despite this combination's defensive deficiencies, for Los Angeles to pass up Okafor, it would take either an impressive trade package or a predraft commitment from Love, which may be too early for him to provide such assurances.

If Love is playing his home games at Staples Center next season, the Lakers will just have to find a way to make sure what the two, along with power forward Julius Randle, are doing offensively is not outweighed by what is happening at the other end of the floor.

Believe it or not, if Love leaves Cleveland and it is not for Los Angeles, it may be for the the Boston Celtics. Last summer, before being dealt to the Cavaliers, he toured the city and even took in a Red Sox game.

According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics made progress on convincing Love to join the 17-time champions: "Boston has been no sure thing to lure Love, but it had a better shot than most had believed. If Love left the Cavaliers, the Celtics had closed the gap on the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo Sports."

Regardless of whether Kelly Olynyk yanked away Boston's chances, along with Love's shoulder, is anyone's guess. But at this point in time, it appears as if the two-time second-team All-Pro isn't going to be Cavalier and he isn't going to be a Laker, he will be a Celtic.

There is also the issue of whether the Cavaliers will be able to keep everyone in free agency: By looking at the Cavs' page on Basketball Insiders again, you will see Cleveland currently has just over $26 million in guaranteed money on the books for next season.

However, if Love is brought back, James exercises his player option and some of the team's role players are retained, that number balloons to around $100 million and could quite possibly exceed that figure, depending on how free agency plays out.

James understandably feels that when he is on your team, the organization needs to make the same commitment to winning that he does, which means being in the luxury tax. According to DeAntae Prince of Sporting News, James was upset with the Heat's front office when Mike Miller was amnestied in a move that saved Miami nearly $17 million.

However, Cleveland may not be able to keep everyone.

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Tristan Thompson is a restricted free agent who plays the same position as Love, albeit in a different fashion, and has seen his stock soar this postseason, dominating the glass and making an impact defensively.

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J.R. Smith has a $6.3 million player option for next season; considering he is attempting 7.4 three-point attempts per game and knocking them down at nearly a 40 percent clip, per NBA.com, he may very well opt out of his contract in favor of finding long-term security.

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Iman Shumpert is another one of Cleveland's important cogs and is a restricted free agent this summer. According to NBA.com, the Cavaliers are 5.7 points worse defensively this postseason when Shumpert is off the floor. They have a net rating of 4.7 when he's on the bench, compared to a 10.1 rating when he is on the court.

Will Cleveland be able to keep all three of these players, plus Love? Might the Cavs re-sign their role players at his expense? How much are the Cavaliers willing to spend at the power forward position, where Thompson is sniffing max money and Love already commands it? How confident are they in making a long-term commitment to a wild card like Smith?

The Cavaliers must decide financially whether this relationship is worth saving while Love contemplates whether this was anything more than a fling with the King.