The last remaining piece of the champion team of the Cavaliers in 2016 he seems to be on the verge of leaving Cleveland.
Kevin Love and the Cavaliers are finalizing the termination of his contract, as reported by Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. The 34-year-old power forward, whom the Cavs acquired in 2014 following the return of LeBron James to the team, has been out of Cleveland’s rotation since he played 12 minutes in a Jan. 24 game against New York.
Now Love will look for a new team that can offer him a better opportunity to contribute in the final stretch of the Regular Season and during the Playoffs.
What led Love and the Cavaliers to part ways? And where could he go when he officially becomes a free agent?
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Why is Kevin Love leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers?
After a good start to the 2022-2023 season, Love suffered a thumb injury in November that appeared to affect his shooting quality. He made 40.4% of his 3-point attempts from Oct. 19 through Nov. 21, but since that month, he’s dropped to 31.1% from the perimeter.
Love eventually fell out of the rotation at the end of January, and according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, “He has been dealing with the possibility of terminating his contract for some time.”
In 41 games, Love is averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, the lowest numbers of his career, while shooting 38.9% from the field and 35.4% from triples.
The details of Kevin Love’s contract
In 2019, Love signed a $120.4 million contract with the Cavaliers. It is not known how much money he will give up from his salary for the 2022-2023 season (28.9 million) to be able to leave the team.
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What will be Kevin Love’s next team? possible destinations
Miami Heat
Charania and Lloyd reported that they “expects Miami Heat to emerge as suitors” of Love, as they have “Polled the Market Recently in Search of an Interior”.
Other than All-Star Bam Adebayo, Miami lacks options in the paint. Love would get the minutes he wants, and Miami could field bigger, more shooting teams.
Los Angeles Lakers
Very obvious, right? Love has formed a great relationship with LeBron James in his years in Cleveland, playing pick-and-pop and connecting on long passes.
One potential problem here: The Lakers already have a lot of interiors. James, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura would be occupying the minutes that Love is looking for.
Golden State Warriors
As NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole noted earlier this month, Love’s rebounding, shooting and passing skills would make him a good fit in the Warriors’ system.
However, Golden State’s biggest problem right now is, as Draymond Green described it, not having a “collective will” in defence. Love would not solve that problem.
Portland Trail Blazers
Could Love have her Carmelo Anthony moment in Portland?
Love has previously stated that “it would be special” to play Damian Lillard for his hometown team. This could be his best chance to fulfill that dream.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
