Shams: Kevin Love Signing with Miami Heat

[CIN-C-STAR]

really poor use of an expiring asset by the cavs.

He's making 30 million, what were they going to swap that for? Hayward probably could have happened, but do you really want to pay him 30m next year? Nope.

The Cavs don't have many picks available for trade to make it worth while for a team like Detroit to send them Bojan. There just wasn't a great trade to be made that would make them serious contenders this year. 2024-2026 is their time to shine, this year is all about experience and growing together. Kevin Love wasn't a part of that plan, unless he comes back on a vet min deal next year. Let him be free to go wherever he wants, nothing wrong with that for a guy who stuck it out through the rebuild. He's more than earned it if that's what he wants.

The point is, the Cavs are over the cap, with or without him! So they may as well have resigned him for a lower ammount, rather than lose the salary slot completely! They won't get the same impact from an MLE/partial MLE guy...

Purely from an asset management PoV?
Yes.
But I would guess they quietly shopped him to contenders around the deadline and didn't find a deal they liked, and are giving him the chance to choose his next team rather than dump him to like the Magic for a 2nd rd pick or something.
People say loyalty is dead but teams do solids for players sometimes as a reward for sticking with the organization, as it should be.

[hippesthippo]

Warriors should be all over this after trading away Wiseman. After Looney they have no C on the roster. JaMycal Green can get away with playing C but is undersized if Looney ever missed significant time. Not that Love is a 7 footer but he can still rebound and box out a lot better than JaMycal Green. Plus it would be a great fit with floor spacing and his passing ability

Only other team where I see a great fit and need is Phoenix Suns. I'm more intrigued to see where Love goes more than any other player left in the buyout market including Westbrook who's hasn't even gotten bought out yet I don't think

Love could play the Bjelica role in Golden State. It's not a ton of minutes, or particularly pretty, but it's a gig.

I voted Phoenix because it seems like the obvious ring-chasing destination this year like the year Brooklyn signed the entire buyout market.

[SpreeS]

Cavs play above avg offence and defence with him on the floor. So good teams can hide Love weaknesses. He leeds in nba at DREB% so still rebounds well in short stints. Also he is dangerous from 3P and spreads the floor as big. His passing still valuable too. He would be very good fit with Green and we need him as air…

[Exp0sed]

Cavs play above avg offence and defence with him on the floor. So good teams can hide Love weaknesses. He leeds in nba at DREB% so still rebounds well in short stints. Also he is dangerous from 3P and spreads the floor as big. His passing still valuable too. He would be very good fit with Green and we need him as air…

100% for everything u said

personally i'm sad to see him go..he seemed like the leader off the court last season
I thought he was thrilled to still be on the Cavs and be a part of a very good team and that his diminshed role is just temporary...
oh well

while true he's been having a down year, he's not washed at all
he can still contribute, he's alot better than the options usually available via the buyout market

[zimpy27]

I think he joins his lifelong friend Klay on GSW

[Monky15]

I'm generally fine with buyouts but I think this one stinks a bit.

He won a ring here, got paid handsomely, has some legacy and his team is still winning, he should just suck it up and be a good vet for the team that has been committed to him all these years.

Who knows if they might need him in a playoff series because of an injury or something.

[NyKnicks1714]

It is kind of weird to see a player's 9-year tenure with a team, which includes 2 ASG appearances and a championship, end in a buyout.

[baldur]

It is kind of weird to see a player's 9-year tenure with a team, which includes 2 ASG appearances and a championship, end in a buyout.

We are talking about his potential jersey retirement by the same team that bought him out at the same time. You are right, it is weird.

[buzzkilloton]

Dudes washed

[jbk1234]

really poor use of an expiring asset by the cavs.

What's the best offer the Cavs got for an expiring Love with a fractured thumb on his shooting hand?

[Doranku]

It is kind of weird to see a player's 9-year tenure with a team, which includes 2 ASG appearances and a championship, end in a buyout.

Especially considering the team he's leaving has a top 5 record in the NBA.

[Ducklett]

Aren't the Cavs supposed to be a contender post Donovan trade... what happened...

[Sunlight]

Why people are voting the Lakers? He told that Contender team is where he join.

[JN61]

Lakers are contender? Good joke.

[Collymore]

Why are the Cavs trying to help potential play off opponents?

[Slava]

His playmaking would be quite useful for the Nuggets when Jokic rests.

[TheLand13]

I really hope Cleveland retires his number when it’s all said and done. Cleveland’s big three will always be part of their history due to the championship they won, which he was a big part of. When told to come off the bench, he was all for it and fully bought into being their sixth man, a role he thrived in. It’s an absolute shame that a thumb injury knocked him out of the rotation.

I’m thankful for Love and I’m glad he was part of history with us. He’s always been a team first player who did everything he could to contribute, even if it meant taking a smaller role. The NBA needs more players like him. I’m glad he got to live out his dream with us and that he will retire an NBA champion.

I think they definitely will. It's not just the championship, but also those deep playoff runs that Love was a part of. By the way, can the Cavs put Kyrie's jersey in the rafters, although Garland wears the same number?

Honestly, I don't know.

As much as it pains me to say it, I do think that the Cavaliers should retire Irving's number. Like him or not, he hit the biggest shot in Cleveland's history. He was a key contributor to the championship just like Love was. And in the end, I can't ignore the fact that if it wasn't for Irving being their in the first place, LeBron probably never would have came back to Cleveland to begin with.

But that could very easily change if Garland builds his own legacy in Cleveland. He's already got a realistic chance of doing so due to how much talent is already on the team and how young they are. But if Garland isn't part of an actual dynasty or even a team that wins additional titles, I think it's only fair to retire Irving's number. That more than likely doesn't come until after Garland retires or leaves Cleveland. And that might not be for a very long time. Either way, if anyone's going to get their jersey retired first, it'll more than likely be Love, as he was the one who ultimately chose to stick it out with the team, and made sacrifices to his game in order to make it work.

Why are the Cavs trying to help potential play off opponents?

I don't think you understand what kind of player Kevin Love is right now.

The thumb injury has all but made him a liability offensively. And we all know about his defensive issues. With where he's at in his career, he can no longer afford to be the post-up big constantly battling for offensive boards like he was in Minnesota. He has to almost always be strictly a three point shooter just to stay on the court and avoid injury. Without his shooting ability, he's basically nothing more than a really good (if not elite) rebounder who can pass the ball really well. That's not going to cut it in this day and age.

[JujitsuFlip]

I really hope Cleveland retires his number when it’s all said and done. Cleveland’s big three will always be part of their history due to the championship they won, which he was a big part of. When told to come off the bench, he was all for it and fully bought into being their sixth man, a role he thrived in. It’s an absolute shame that a thumb injury knocked him out of the rotation.

I’m thankful for Love and I’m glad he was part of history with us. He’s always been a team first player who did everything he could to contribute, even if it meant taking a smaller role. The NBA needs more players like him. I’m glad he got to live out his dream with us and that he will retire an NBA champion.

I think they definitely will. It's not just the championship, but also those deep playoff runs that Love was a part of. By the way, can the Cavs put Kyrie's jersey in the rafters, although Garland wears the same number?

Garland wears #10...

[ArtMorte]

Any "contender" that signs this washed up version of him are in for a rude awakening lol.

[mcfly1204]

Tough call by Cleveland, but likely the right call. If his thumb is not right, he has little to nothing to offer.