Cavs Finalizing Contract Buyout of Kevin Love

Love was the last holdover from the 2016 Championship Team

Author:
Spencer German
Feb 16, 2023 1:43 AM EST

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Cleveland Cavaliers

2016 is a year Cleveland Cavaliers fans will never forget and now, the final remnants of the franchise's historic championship run are no more.

In a surprising move, the Cavs are working through a buyout agreement with veteran forward, Kevin Love, according to the Athletic's Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd. The Miami Heat are expected to be the likely landing spot for the 15-year veteran.

Love, the team's last remaining holdover from the memorable 2016 championship team, found himself out of the rotation in recent months, largely due to a nagging thumb injury that left him recording his worst shooting numbers in five seasons. For the campaign, Love is averaging 8.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds but hasn't played meaningful minutes in 11 games as head coach JB Bickerstaff has preferred to roll with 26-year-old, wing Dean Wade over Love.

Just last week, President of Basketball Operations, Koby Altman rebuffed the idea of a buyout for Love following the league's trade deadline, hence why the move comes as a bit of a shock following the team's loss to Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Love's tenure with the team certainly hasn't always been rainbows and butterflies. Upon his arrival in 2014 as the last piece of the Cavs Big-Three featuring LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the former Minnesota Timberwolf, James seemed to suggest that Love wasn't "fitting in" with the club in a now infamous tweet.

However, Love's defensive effort in Game 7 of the NBA Finals remains a key memory in the minds of Cavs fans and cemented his place as a Cavaliers legend forever.

When the big-three era came to a close unceremoniously, Love was the only member of the trio to stay with Cleveland, inking a somewhat controversial four-year, $120 million deal in 2019.

There were some ups and downs over the last four years with Love as Altman rebuilt the roster into its current iteration, but Love's presence as a veteran voice in the locker room earned him the nickname "Uncle Kev," among his teammates. His leadership was perhaps the biggest reason why Love, despite his high cap figure, remained on the roster until the final year of that latest deal.

Now, Love's time in Cleveland appears to be over and the Cavaliers will have a roster spot at their disposal once the buyout is processed.

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