NBA Rumors: Cavaliers' Kevin Love Not Interested in Buyout

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been busy wheeling and dealing lately. As the NBA has been a bit quiet on the trade front as of late, the Cavaliers helped wake up the trade market as they got involved in a three-team deal on Friday afternoon.

Cleveland finally ended the Larry Nance Jr era on Friday as they sent the veteran forward to the Portland Trail Blazers. Although Nance meant a lot to the Cavaliers' organization and the City of Cleveland, a fresh start was necessary for the 28-year-old veteran forward.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers will give up Derrick Jones Jr., and several draft picks to the Chicago Bulls. Then, the Bulls would complete the deal with the headliner of it all by sending veteran power forward Lauri Markkanen to the Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade that would net Markkanen a notable four-year deal in Cleveland.

Now, what's next for the Cavs? Figuring out what the future holds for veteran power forward Kevin Love. Over the past two seasons, Love has been a name heavily thrown around in trade rumors. Yet, he remains in Cleveland.

While the trade rumors haven't slowed down this offseason, the supposed lack of trade interest from teams leads some to believe a buyout could be on the horizon, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reports.

"What about Love? An NBA source told me the Cavs were making progress toward a buyout for Love, who has two years and $60 million left on his contract. But the Cavs and other NBA sources have strongly denied it. This likely just another Kevin Love rumor, and there have been so many over the years. At some point, a buyout for Love make sense for both parties. No clue when that will happen."

It's time for the Cavaliers to begin thinking about life without Kevin Love. At 32-years-old, Love is beginning to reach the stage of his career where he should join a contender rather than be the face of a franchise.

Not only does his age prove that, but so does his recent injury history. Over the last three seasons, Love has only appeared in more than 30 games once. Buying out Love would set the veteran forward free to sign with a contender where he becomes a complement to other notable stars. 

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers could comfortably move forward with Markkanen, a guy they just gave a generous contract to, at the power forward position within their starting lineup without worrying about how he fits alongside Love.

However, Kevin Love doesn't seem the least bit interested in a buyout scenario. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Love's agent Jeff Schwartz, the veteran forward "has no interest" in discussing a buyout scenario at this time.