Kevin Love’s impressive run with the Cavaliers has come to an end. The two sides completed a buyout of his contract, granting him the ability to sign elsewhere for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.
Shortly after the news was broken by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Love took to Twitter to express his appreciation for Cavaliers fans.
“I’ll have more to say soon but want to get this off my chest. To the people of Cleveland and all of Ohio. I f—--- LOVE you…and always will,” Love wrote. “Thank you for everything. More to come.”
Love joined the Cavs ahead of the 2014–15 season, after being traded from the Timberwolves. He made two of his five All-Star Games with the team, and was a key piece of the 2016 NBA championship team alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
With his release, the Heat are reportedly the favorite to land the five-time All-Star forward, but the 76ers are also involved, Wojnarowski reports.
Cleveland could potentially run into Love come playoff time if he lands with either Eastern Conference team. The third-place 76ers (38–19) are currently one place ahead of the Cavs (38–23) in the standings. The Heat (32–27) are in seventh.
The 34-year-old Love has played in 41 games this season. His 20 minutes, 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game are all career lows, and he recently fell out of Cleveland’s rotations, last appearing in a game on Jan. 24.
