You have no reason to want Love, then...because he's a bad defensive player, he is a big man that would rather take jumpers (and shoots around 45% from the floor, that's it), and someone who doesn't like to defer much, despite being a very good passer.
Not only that, but Kevin Love's contract reads like this:
2012-13: $13,668,750
2013-14: $14,693,906
2014-15: $15,719,063
2015-16: $16,744,219 (Player Option, which he'll take)
Free agency won't matter if we have Kobe, Dwight and Nash in the summer of 2014, anyway, because those three alone will prevent us from being able to dish out a max contract. Dwight will be at $20+ million (more than that), Nash at around $10 million, and I don't see Kobe taking less than $15 million (which is 50% of what he'll make next season). That's roughly $45 million, and Dwight will be over the $20 million mark, anyway. Again, JUST THREE players...we would have to let everyone else go, have nobody else signed...and it still won't matter.
No max deal for anyone if we have our "big three" still sitting on the roster.
No I do want Kevin Love because he makes the most basketball sense to pair with Dwight - he can shoot and rebound, Dwight can play D, rebound; although Love's shooting has slumped this season, but I will attribute that more to his hand injury than some sort of random degradation of his game.
As for the contract situation, if Kobe does decide to return to play for another contract, and he has the opportunity to play with Melo along with a Dwight Howard, there is no doubt in my mind that he will take whatever cut necessary to sign. Again, that is assuming he wants to continue playing. If these next 2 years result in pathetic playoff (or a complete lack of) results, I doubt he wants to dedicate himself to training when he is becoming much more family oriented. You can just tell the way Kobe is talking with fans and being social now, he is readying himself for leaving the game.
I really don't see, or rather don't want, Dwight getting a true max deal. He should not be making anything significantly over $20m with the way he has recovered and injured himself after his back surgery. He already has his deficiencies, he needs to have a Lebron/Wade/Bosh mentality and realize that he will need to take a haircut if he ever wants to win, because he surely is not going to do it in this state.
Now if we have, Love, Nash, Kobe, Dwight from a Pau trade, then whatever, no 2014 offers. But otherwise, I really think barring Knicks major success in the next 2 post seasons, that Kobe can convince Melo to come play in LA. Even if it is not Melo, there are still plenty of talents out there I would rather have over a max contract Josh Smith...
