NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers And Kevin Love "Making Progress" Towards Buyout

Source: The New York Times

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There is no doubt that Kevin Love didn't have a good year. During the 2020-21 season, Kevin Love averaged 12.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG while only shooting 40.9% from the field. He is still however a good 3PT shooter, averaging 36.5% from beyond the arc. 

Even though he had a bad season, it is quite possible that Kevin Love still has some juice left in the tank. He would be of great help in limited minutes as a veteran role player on many teams, providing valuable playoff experience and leadership on the roster.

The Cavaliers are going through a rebuild, and while Kevin Love doesn't fit the timeline of the rebuild, moving him is fairly difficult given the size of his contract. Another option would be buying out Kevin Love's contract, and some recent news has suggested that it may be a possibility in the future. In his recent report, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com revealed that one of his sources in the league believes the Cleveland Cavaliers are working on a buyout for 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. 

There is no doubt that a buyout could benefit both parties. The Cleveland Cavaliers have just acquired Lauri Markkanen, and they already have Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the roster. That's 3 young players who need developmental minutes in the frontcourt, and moving Kevin Love would definitely free up some playing time. For Kevin Love, a buyout would mean an opportunity to potentially play for a contender and try to be a contributor to another championship. It remains to be seen what course of action the Cavaliers will take towards Love, though it seems as if a buyout could be on the table at some point.