The last remaining piece of his championship team horse riders in 2016 he appears to be on the verge of leaving Cleveland.
Kevin Love and the Cavaliers are finalizing his contract release, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd report. The 34-year-old power forward, who the Cavs acquired in 2014 after LeBron James returned to the team, has been out of Cleveland’s rotation since playing 12 minutes in a Jan. 24 game against New York.
Now Love will look for a new team that can give him a better chance to contribute down the 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 is officially free?
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Why is Kevin Love leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers?
After a strong start to the 2022-2023 season, Love suffered a thumb injury in November that appeared to affect his shooting quality. He made 40.4 percent of his 3-point attempts from Oct. 19 to Nov. 21, but since that month, he’s dropped to 31.1 percent from the perimeter.
Love finally fell out of the rotation in late January and according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, “He has been dealing with the possibility of terminating his contract for some time now.”
In 41 games, Love is averaging a career-low 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three.
Kevin Love’s contract details
In 2019, Love signed a $120.4 million contract with the Cavaliers. It is not known how much money he will give from his salary for the 2022-2023 season (28.9 million) to be able to leave the team.
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Who will Kevin Love’s next team be? possible destinations
Miami Heat
Charania and Lloyd reported that “He expects the Miami Heat to show up as suitors” of Love, as they have “Recently Market Preview in Domestic Search”.
Other than All-Star Bam Adebayo, Miami has no options in the paint. Love would get the minutes he wants and Miami could compete with bigger, more shooting groups.
Los Angeles Lakers
Pretty obvious, right? Love has built 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 plenty of interior space. James, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura would occupy the minutes Love is looking for.
Golden State Warriors
As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area 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 defense. Love would not solve this problem.
Portland Trail Blazers
Could Love have their own Carmelo Anthony in Portland?
Love has said in the past that “it would be special” to play Damian Lillard for his hometown team. This could be your best chance to fulfill that dream.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
