CLEVELAND (AP) -- Olympic champions together, Kevin Love and LeBron James spent the last 30 days waiting to become teammates again.
Cleveland has craved a championship for 50 years.
One drought over. One to go.
On the first day they were able to complete the long-discussed blockbuster trade, the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Love to the Cavaliers, who capped a spectacular summer on Saturday by acquiring the All-Star power forward as another running mate for James and becoming instant title contenders.
[REPORT: Love trade now involves third team]
James didn't waste any time in making Love feel at home.
"Welcome to the Land (at)kevinlove!" the four-time league MVP posted on his Twitter account.
Yes, Cleveland, a city without a major sports championship since 1964, has a new superstar.
The Timberwolves receive a bountiful return for parting with Love, the disgruntled face of their franchise. They acquired No. 1 overall draft choice Andrew Wiggins and former top pick Anthony Bennett from the Cavs and veteran forward Thaddeus Young from the Philadelphia 76ers in the three-team deal.
The Sixers received a 2015 first-round draft choice from Cleveland - ironically, one of the ones the Cavs got from Miami for James in 2010 - and guard Alexey Shved and forward Luc Mbah a Moute from the Timberwolves.
The Cavs and Timberwolves had discussed a trade involving Love for months, long before James decided to end his magnificent run with the Heat and come back home to Ohio. The deal dragged through the summer, first because of Cleveland's unwillingness to include Wiggins, and then due to a rarely used league rule that prohibited it from being completed until 30 days after Wiggins signed his rookie contract.
That bit of fine print in the collective bargaining agreement triggered an agonizing wait in both cities, more so in championship-starved Cleveland where generations of fans have longed for the Cavs, Indians or Browns to win it all.
But once the teams completed a conference call with the league, there was nothing to prevent the planet's best player from aligning with the league's best power forward. Add in All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and James is the ringleader of a trio as potentially devastating as the one with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh he broke up last month.
"Kevin joining the Cavaliers represents a very special and unique opportunity for our team," Cavs general manager David Griffin said. "At only 25, Kevin has already firmly established himself as one the NBA's elite players and his talent, versatility and fit are major parts of our team's vision for success."
Love's arrival caps a stunning two-month turnaround for the Cavs, who won just 33 games last season and haven't been to the playoffs since James left in 2010.
Cleveland locked up Irving, last year's All-Star Game MVP, to a maximum contract extension on the first day of free agency and then James rocked the league by announcing his return to bring a title to Northeast Ohio. Beyond that, Cleveland signed free agents Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and James Jones, veteran players with NBA titles on their resumes.
Love is the biggest piece. He's coming off of his best season, averaging career highs in points (26.1) and assists (4.4) while grabbing 12.5 rebounds per game and shooting 37.6 percent on 3-pointers. Despite his play, the Wolves finished 40-42, well out of the playoff chase in the demanding Western Conference, and a disenchanted Love wanted out.
He watched the Timberwolves make mistakes which kept the franchise out of the playoffs for the last 10 years. He was infuriated when former team president David Kahn declined to give him a full, five-year max contract two years ago and also grew distant from teammates last season as the team faded.
"I want to personally thank Kevin Love for his six seasons with the Wolves," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. "On the floor, Kevin has worked hard to make himself a great player in the NBA. He also made it a priority to give back to the community ... we wish him nothing but the best in Cleveland."
The Cavs were initially reluctant to deal Wiggins, the super-athletic small forward who spent one year at Kansas. The Timberwolves entertained offers from several other teams for Love, who can opt out of his contract next summer. But they stayed patient, and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Taylor agreed last month in Las Vegas that Wiggins had to be included.
The Timberwolves can rebuild quickly.
Young is an energetic, 26-year-old veteran who will immediately step in and start in Love's spot. He's not as versatile as Love, but he averaged a career-high 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds for the woeful Sixers last year.
Bennett struggled mightily in Cleveland last year after being the No. 1 pick out of UNLV. Shoulder surgery caused him to show up to camp out of shape and he spent his entire rookie season looking overmatched. He had surgery to address sleep apnea and showed up to summer league in great shape.
Adding Wiggins, Bennett and Young along with first-round draft pick Zach LaVine transforms the Wolves into a far more dynamic team around pass-happy point guard Ricky Rubio.
For Cleveland, Love could cure years of frustration.
The city's pained wait to celebrate a title may be nearing an end.
James and Love are together again, and the hope of ending so much sports heartbreak rests on their shoulders.
