Kevin Love’s storied stint at the Cavaliers is over, with the two parties finalising a contract buyout that has ended the five-time All-Star’s nine-year Cleveland tenure.
The Cavaliers on Sunday morning (AEDT) confirmed they’d reached a buyout agreement with Love, who was in the middle of his ninth season with the franchise. The franchise also announced Love’s No. 0 would be retired.
The Miami Heat, according to reports, are favourites to sign Love, although ESPN reported he also planned to speak with the Philadelphia 76ers before making a call.
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But the Heat have been eager to pounce for the veteran forward, with The Athletic reporting the Heat’s offer of a “defined role”, as well as the team’s “play-off positioning”, ensured they were best placed to land Love.
“I’ll have more to say soon but want to get this off my chest,” Love wrote on Twitter.
“To the people of Cleveland and all of Ohio. I f***ing LOVE you … and always will. Thank you for everything.
“More to come.”
Love appeared in 489 games with the Cavaliers — ranked 12th in franchise history — since being traded to Cleveland in 2014. He’s ranked second in team history for three-pointers made, sixth in total rebounds and ninth in total points scored
Prior to the buyout agreement, the 34-year-old was the only member of the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Championship team still on the franchise’s roster.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman paid tribute to Love.
“Kevin Love had an outstanding run with the Cavaliers, including memorable on-court moments, four NBA Finals appearances and an NBA Championship in 2016,” Altman said.
“Kevin represented the organisation and the city of Cleveland with the utmost charm and professionalism during his nine seasons in Northeast Ohio. He also embodied everything a franchise would want in a player, and the admiration and gratitude we have for him will ultimately land his jersey in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“We thank Kevin for his impact and wish him nothing but the best, knowing that he has solidified his place in the hearts of Cavaliers fans and this organisation forever.”
Should Love land at the 76ers or, more likely, the Heat, it’ll be his third team in his 15-year career after spending six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves before he made the jump to Cleveland in 2014.
Love is one of just four players in NBA history to record 14,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 1,500 assists and 1,500 three-pointers made. The other three players are LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.
