Potential Landing Spots For Kevin Love In Buyout Market
Following the trade deadline, there was some talk around the league about Kevin Love potentially getting bought out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, especially since he had fallen out of the rotation and was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
On Wednesday night, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd reported that the Cavaliers and Love are finalizing a contract buyout.
In the midst of his 15th NBA season, Love has spent the last nine years as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and alongside both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, he was a main reason why they went on their magical 2016 championship run.
A nine-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA talent, Kevin Love has recorded career averages of 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 37.2 percent from three-point range.
One of the longest tenured players in the league, Love will now be looking to continue the 2022-23 season with a new team, which would be just the third organization he has ever played with in the NBA.
So where will Kevin Love ultimately end up and will he have a chance to compete for another championship? Here are some teams who could look to pursue the veteran big man upon completion of his buyout.
Miami Heat
It is no secret that the Miami Heat have been looking for another big man to have alongside Bam Adebayo on their depth chart, especially after they dealt Dewayne Dedmon to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline.
Miami is currently jockeying between the Top-6 and the Play-In Tournament regions of the Eastern Conference standings and they could really use an extra burst off their bench to help them secure their playoff spot over the final handful of weeks of the regular season.
Having the ability to spread the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter, Love is definitely the kind of big man the Heat need and according to Ira Winderman from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami has put players like Kevin Love and Serge Ibaka at the top of their list in the buyout market.
Charania and Lloyd also mentioned that the Heat are expected to emerge as a suitor for Love once his contract buyout is finalized.
Los Angeles Lakers
Adding Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers do not necessarily need another big man, but Kevin Love won a championship with LeBron James in 2016 and having an experienced veteran like Love on the bench is not a bad idea for the Lakers to ponder.
The Lakers currently find themselves fighting to get back into the Play-In Tournament region of the Western Conference standings and three-point shooting has been a problem for them all season long. Being a veteran that plays 15-20 minutes a game, Love is definitely the type of player who could make a positive impact when Anthony Davis is not on the floor for Los Angeles.
Phoenix Suns
Making a move for Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns are all-in on competing for a championship this season. In the process of trading for Durant though, the Suns gave up a chunk of their depth at both forward positions with Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder all departing.
Having the ability to stretch the floor as a power forward, Kevin Love could act as a key three-point shooter off-the-bench in Phoenix and be another championship-like talent this team has in their locker room. The Suns do have an open roster spot right now and while they have Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo behind Deandre Ayton in their frontcourt, making a move for Love certainly would not hurt them in any way.
Boston Celtics
For years now, the Boston Celtics have had interest in adding Kevin Love and this interest goes all the way back to when Danny Ainge was still running their front-office. With Danilo Gallinari not expected to return from his ACL injury anytime soon and the Celtics holding onto an open roster spot, Love could fill the void this team has had at the power forward position on their bench.
Quite honestly, the only sign of weakness the Celtics have lies in their frontcourt, as they do not have much depth and talent behind the likes of Al Horford and Robert Williams III. Bringing in Kevin Love gives Boston another capable scorer on the perimeter and a reliable rebounder that would deliver key minutes, giving the likes of Horford and Williams time to rest either down the stretch run of the season or in certain playoff series.
Boston has earned the rights to be the title favorites this season and instead of having a competing team sign Love, the Celtics may be able to keep him out of their rival’s hands, as well as get production from him as well.
Portland Trail Blazers
Kevin Love is from Lake Oswego, Oregon and the idea of joining the Portland Trail Blazers is something that has come up time and time again with him. Throughout the course of his career, Love has always played well in Portland and similar to the Lakers, the Trail Blazers find themselves in a position where they are looking to right the wrongs they had earlier in the season and make a late playoff push.
With Jerami Grant and Justise Winslow hurt, the Blazers have virtually no depth at the power forward position and with Jusuf Nurkic hurt, they have been left extremely vulnerable at the center position. Having Kevin Love be the “hometown guy” would definitely bring some new energy to Blazers home games and his added offensive production from the perimeter may be exactly what this team needs to get into the postseason.
Golden State Warriors
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors were rivals during their four-year NBA Finals war and Kevin Love was a key competitor for Cleveland in this rivalry, so why would he join the Warriors now?
At this point in his career, Love is looking to join a competing team that he can help compete for a championship and with the hole the Warriors have in their frontcourt, it would be smart for them to at least get in contact with the veteran and see where his head is at.
Kevon Looney, Draymond Green and JaMychal Green are the only options the Warriors have at the center spot right now and in a crowded Western Conference that has a ton of All-Star frontcourt players, Golden State would be smart to add another big man in the buyout market that can help them in their pursuit to defend their recent title.
Defensively, Love may not be able to give Golden State much, which is where they need the most help, but he is a capable three-point shooter and would be the picture-perfect pick-and-pop big man to set screens for the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
