Cavaliers, Kevin Love Finalizing Buyout After Sixers Matchup

The Cleveland Cavaliers kept up with a similar trend on Wednesday night when they faced the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. For the 12th straight game, the Cavaliers did not play the veteran forward, Kevin Love.

Following the game, it became clear as to why Love did not participate in Wednesday’s matchup against the Sixers.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Cavaliers and Love are working on a contract buyout, which should be finalized soon. Therefore, Love would hit the free agency market soon enough, and another Eastern Conference playoff contender is expected to get involved.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Love are finalizing a contract buyout, with the Miami Heat expected to emerge as a suitor for the five-time All-Star should the sides finalize parting ways, league sources tell The Athletic.”

This season, Love has appeared in 41 games for the Cavaliers, even drawing three starts. He averaged 20 minutes on the court before the team decided to stop playing him.

During that stretch, Love put up nine points per game while collecting seven rebounds per game. He’s struggled with his shot, as he’s connected on just 40 percent of his field goal attempts. From deep, Love hit on 35 percent of his shots, averaging five attempts per game.

It’s clear Love’s best days are behind him, but it seemed like his veteran leadership, and championship experience would be helpful on a young contending team like the Cavaliers. However, it seems that after nine seasons in Cleveland, Love’s time is running its course.

So far, the Miami Heat seem to be the top suitor for his services. Should that be the case, Love won’t go too far away from the Sixers, who could end up facing the veteran in the postseason at some point this year.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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