Cavaliers making free-agent pitch to Kevin Love now

Jeff Zillgitt | USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Love should opt in. Kevin Love should opt out.

He should do this, he should do that.

Everyone seems to know what's best for Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward who sustained a dislocated shoulder Sunday against the Boston Celtics, had surgery on Wednesday and will be out 4-6 months, according to the the team.

If you listen, the Cavaliers are making a free-agent pitch to Love right now, as the Cavaliers get ready to play the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals, starting with Game 1 on Monday.

The Cavaliers have let Love know how much he is wanted in Cleveland, and it might be a feeling — along with winning 53 games during the regular season and playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career — that Love has never felt before. The Cavaliers hope it resonates with their valuable forward.

If there is a disconnect between Love and Cavs All-Star LeBron James, it was hard to tell after Game 3. Love had just scored 23 points (6-for-10 on three-pointers) and collected nine rebounds. James expressed how important Love is to the Cavaliers and said for the Cavaliers to get where they wanted to go, Love needed to play his game. James said he knows what kind of competitor Love is, how cerebral he is.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving is close with Love and on Thursday, Irving called Love one of his brothers, saying "when one of your brothers goes down, there's a piece of us that went with him."

Those are significant comments, and Love no doubt heard them.

The Cavaliers have an advantageous head start in the free-agent process. Not only can the Cavaliers continue a dialogue with him about his place and role in the team's future, they are making him feel wanted and important.

That's no guarantee Love stays with Cleveland, and that's why Love's shoulder injury, combined with the possibility of becoming a free agent this summer, and leaving or staying with the Cavaliers is one of the most intriguing story lines in the NBA. There are a whirlwind of scenarios and questions for Love to consider.

He can become a free agent this summer, if that's what he wants. He has a player option on the final year of his contract for the 2015-16 season, meaning he can be a free agent in July or he can play out the final year of his contract and become a free agent in the summer of 2016.

For the record, Love has stated he plans to opt in and finish the last season. That's the prudent thing to say publicly, but Love owes it to himself — as do all players — to explore every option and determine what's best for him. Strictly from a financial standpoint, and even if Love wants to stay with the Cavaliers, he should opt out, become a free agent this summer and take advantage of another spike in the salary cap.

Love is scheduled to make $16.7 million next season. If he opts out, his starting salary with the Cavaliers or another team in a max deal will be about $18.9 million based on salary cap projections.

If Love signs a five-year max deal with the Cavs this summer, it would be worth approximately $108.9 million. If Love signs a max deal this offseason with another team, it would be for four years, $80.8 million.

But complicating matters — beyond an injured shoulder — is the money coming in from the new TV deal that will increase the salary cap to a projected $89 million in 2016-17, up from $67.1 million in 2015-16.

If Love plans accordingly (signing a two-year deal with a player player option this summer) and takes advantage of the $89 million salary cap in the summer of 2016, he stands to make considerably more money. That summer, the Cavs could offer him a five-year deal worth approximately $144.4 million. Another team could offer him a four-year deal worth $107.2 million.

Remember that Love has never had that super large payday. In 2012, he signed a four-year extension worth $60.8 million. Of course that's a significant amount, but it was not a five-year extension and it was not one of the $100 million deals that will be commonplace soon for the league's best players.

How badly and how soon does Love want that mega-deal and will his shoulder injury and other aches and pains play into his decision?

In almost all situations, the Cavaliers have the long-term advantage: They have Love's Bird rights and can offer him one more year (five) than other teams and offer more money.

But beyond the financial implications, Love might consider other aspects of his future: Where does he want to play? For a certain team? Certain coach? With a specific player? Is he interested in winning a championship sooner rather than later?

Love has plenty to consider, and he has plenty of time to consider it while watching his teammates in the playoffs.

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.