Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love spent the weekend in Boston. One of his stops included meeting with Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo, leading to the possibility the Celtics -- and their bevy of 2014 NBA draft picks -- may be in contention to trade for Love.
Love visited Boston for the weekend. While the trip appeared to be a personal jaunt, one of his stops in Boston raised suspicion Love could want to play for the Celtics next summer when he opts out of his contract -- assuming Minnesota doesn't trade him beforehand.
Love, along with his agent, and Rondo both attended the Boston Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday. Although Love and Rondo sat in different sections, the Boston Globe reported they "eventually crossed paths and chatted."
A picture posted on Twitter confirmed as much.
"During his trip, he stayed at a luxury hotel on Boylston Street, dined at an upscale restaurant in the Seaport District, grabbed lunch on the patio at a sports bar outside of Fenway Park, and attended a rooftop party at a hotel near Boston Common late Sunday," Baxter Holmes of The Globe wrote on Monday.
Love also socialized with New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski over the weekend, according to Boston.com.
Holmes also spoke with an owner of a Boston bar, Bill Fairweather, who talked with Love when the All-Star visited. Fairweather said Love spoke highly of Rondo, was incredibly interested in Celtics history and emphasized his desire to play for a winning team.
Timberwolves president Flip Saunders, meanwhile, reiterated his stance that Love would be in a Timberwolves jersey next season.
"The last I knew Kevin was under contract with us, and I expect him to be playing for us next year," Saunders said on Sunday, via USA Today. "I don't really dictate where guys go on vacation or what they do. They can go wherever they want to go. ...
"I know there's a feeding frenzy out there from a lot of teams. Unfortunately, they have no say. I plan on Kevin being here."
Love is eligible to opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent, which he reportedly plans to do. Minnesota would need to trade him before February's deadline if they don't want to let him walk for free; they would get maximum value for Love if they traded him this summer.
The Celtics are one of the few teams with the assets, namely draft picks, to make it worthwhile for Minnesota to deal Love.
