If the interest in Love is as strong as some rumors would make us believe(I'm skeptical, but it's possible), then they may not have that option. Love has little incentive to sign an extension before next year, and some interested parties could be relatively confident(or at the least, more confident than the Bulls would) in their ability to keep him in Free Agency. He has incentive if the receiving party won't pull the trigger on a deal without a commitment from him to sign an extension. And the Wolves might be of the same mind if they maximize the return package by having Love agree to an extension. It all depends on how badly he wants out of Minnesota and if he's content to play out the season or at least until the deadline. My point is that if the Bulls are offering X and require an extension but someone like GSW/Cleveland is offering X-Y but doesn't require an extension, then not only is there little reason for Love to sign, there's less reason for Minnesota to push Love to agree to an extension unless Y is some huge value. True. But I think the Bulls would be willing to roll the dice on getting Love without agreeing to an extension. It all comes back to Rose again, if he's good and healthy Love will almost certainly sign an extension. If he's not, they'll be ok with letting Love walk and going for a complete rebuild (it's not like McDermott and Mirotic are all that valuable without cornerstone pieces in place).