Lakers: Do Fans Want LA to Sign Kevin Love Via Buyout Market?

Late Wednesday night, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that longtime forward Kevin Love was agreeing on a contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Love, 34, has been with the Cavs since 2014, and has enjoyed tons of success there, including winning a title alongside current Lakers superstar LeBron James.

However, Love was only playing 20 minutes per game with Cleveland this year, and the two sides felt like it was time to let him pick a new home. Shortly after getting bought out (and even before when there was speculation he might be bought out), the Lakers rumors began swirling.

Kevin Love, you are a Los Angeles Laker. https://t.co/hjpkKJxINm
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) February 16, 2023

Whether it would make sense on the court, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Love and LeBron are great friends and would love (no pun intended) the idea of playing together again. So, over on Twitter, we ran a poll to see what Lakers fans wanted. Of the nearly 300 participants (the poll is still running), a whopping 75.5 percent want Love to land in Los Angeles.

Do you want the #Lakers to sign Kevin Love via the buyout market? Why or why not? #LakeShow
— All Lakers - AllLakers.com (@thelakers248) February 16, 2023

Here were some of the fans' reasonings:

floor stretching playoff proven big who is better insurance for bamba than gabriel in games that count
— HBO Bass Laker Fan 💜💛 (@maxthatbass) February 16, 2023

Hell yes.
1) Rebounding - 6.8 in 20 mpg this year. Lakers need it (no offensive boards in 1st half tonight).
2) Outside shooting - .372 career on 4.8 att/ gm.
3) Chemistry with LBJ - no time to waste getting up to speed.
4) More AD insurance.
— Mark Melo (@MIM_mmelo) February 16, 2023

What's the down side? Some size, spacing and shooting if needed.
— Kyle (@KyloHend) February 16, 2023

A few fans were slightly more skeptical, though.

Would he really be an asset off the bench..?
— Matt Tomeoni (@ItalianT) February 16, 2023

Would be cool for them, but they aren't going to get him. Top two teams with the highest chances of getting him are the warriors and the heat.
— Soren (@ooggyyboooggyy) February 16, 2023

Love will likely take his time in picking his next home. We know he'll want to be on a contender, and likely wants to get playing time. No one knows if the Lakers will be able to offer either of those, which could make the pairing tricky. However, if he wants to play with LeBron, and contribute on a team looking to fight back into the postseason, the move could work out. The Lakers do have one roster spot open for the buyout market.

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