Flip Saunders made clear the signing of Nikola Pekovic will not prevent the Minnesota Timberwolves from extending Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

"This signing of Pek will in no way hinder anything having to do with Rick down the road or with Kevin," Saunders said. "We've got three cornerstones in the franchise that all complement each other, which is very important."

Saunders discussed the Pekovic deal with Love, who himself was not offered a maximum-length extension before last season.

"More than anything else, Kevin wants to win," Saunders said, "and as we talked about Pek, (Love said) you have to do what you have to do. As Kevin knows, I think he really understands and believes that I haven't been here for things that have been done in the past, and I don't care."