The Suns are among the teams interested in Kevin Love if he finalizes a buyout with the Cavaliers, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in an appearance on Pardon the Interruption (YouTube link).
As Windhorst points out, Love was teammates with Suns president of basketball operations James Jones when Cleveland won its lone championship in 2016, so there’s a connection there. Love also played with Kevin Durant and Chris Paul on Team USA in 2012, when the Americans went undefeated in the London Olympics.
The Suns have an open roster spot and both their taxpayer mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available, so they could offer Love more than a minimum-salary contract if they’re so inclined.
According to Windhorst, Love requested the buyout due to a lack of playing time, having been a healthy scratch for the past 12 games. Windhorst suggests the Cavs weren’t “thrilled” with the request, but they had gone 9-3 with Love out of the rotation, so they didn’t want to switch things up when they’re having success without him.
A few teams called Windhorst after the news broke requesting background information on the veteran big man, so he is attracting interest despite having a down year — Love is averaging career lows in points (8.5), rebounds (6.8), minutes per game (20.0). A thumb injury, which is now healed, limited his effectiveness from an efficiency standpoint, as his FG% (.389) and 3PT% (.354) are his worst marks since 2012/13, when the 34-year-old played just 18 games due to injury.
Windhorst says the Heat are “very interested” in Love, but notes that Cleveland might have to play Miami in the first round of the playoffs — paying him to join a direct competitor in the East obviously doesn’t make much sense. Windhorst wonders if the Cavs will negotiate to try to force Love to join a Western Conference team instead.
Easiest place for playtime
And no pressure. Pressure is on those four stars paul, Ayton, Durant, booker. Close to his home too in cAlifornia
… reminds me of when Blake Griffin wanted in on the BKN championship wagon.
I’m sure there are a few teams that would want Love. I just do t see why Cavs wouldn’t want him.
Defense, and his shooting has fallen off a cliff since he broke his thumb
They DO want him. But if they buy him out it’s as a gesture rewarding his loyalty and other things. They’re not playing him at all and they’re winning so he is basically insurance at this point. So the thought is to do the 34 yr old man a favor and let him go where he’s needed? He’s a free agent at the end of the year anyway and you’re not going to re-sign him.
He’s playing 20 mins. And can spot start. He’s got playoff experience. I just think he’s worth keeping at this point. Be valuable in playoffs.
He’s been a healthy scratch the last dozen + games. He’s not playing 20 minutes.
He’s been a DNP-CD for 12 straight games, Albert.
Kings are chopped liver not one real move at the deadline no real prospects in the buyout market.
They need to look at the long game
when you haven’t made the playoffs in almost 20 years do you still keep playing the long game or finally start acting like you want to be relevant
Kevin Love and his wife live in NY so the Nets or the Knicks would be convenient for him. Again, the Cavs would not be thrilled to go to an Eastern Conference competitor.
I don’t think the Knicks have a fit for him, especially if lack of playing time was his complaint in Cleveland. Knicks already have Robinson/Hartenstein/Sims and Randle/Toppin up front. Maybe he could squeeze in behind RJ at the 3 on the 2nd unit or steal some of Toppin’s already small minutes but I don’t really see it.
Every playoff team is interested. He fits on every team in some way either though prior relationships or on court fit and I don’t think anyone dislikes playing with him. Plus with a buyout he can squeeze on any roster for the minimum. He’s truly a free agent and the only thing that’s clear is he no longer wants to be in Cleveland.
As an aside, I said before the deadline the Cavs should trade Love simply because his contract was large enough to net something significant and this is the last year the cavs have with excessive cap space before extensions kick in to make the money work but ig nothing materialized. Cavs are in my mind the 3-4th best team in the east as constructed and they’re kinda locked into that now with their team salary.
They would have traded him if they could. The problem is they are mostly out of future draft assets and young players they would want to move so even though Love is salary ballast they didnt have other assets to attach to get a better player, and nobody offered them anything for Love or they would have done the deal.
Man talk about a bad organization, not thrilled about letting go a guy who they don’t play or intend to, really awful state of affairs, players have the right to play, if you ain’t gonna play them you must be willing to help them find a situation that allows them to play… seems very selfish to me their attitude, specially towards a guy that has given sooo much to the franchise, they could show him a little love in return!
Selfish to expect a player to finish their very generous contract? What a world we live in.
El Don, bad organization? If they were selfish they would KEEP him for insurance. Just in case a big man goes down. He’s under contract to the cavaliers.
But no.., they’re trying to do him right by giving him opportunity to play somewhere else. Extremely UNSELFISH of the organization if you ask me. El Don Always Wrong you are clueless again.
Why does a team need to “help find them find a situation that allows them to play”?
That a new clause in contracts now? “In addition to the $30M salary, if you fall out of the rotation, even if due to player regression and performance, the Organization will help you find a new team where you have the opportunity to play even if it has a negative impact on the team.”
Come on, man. Love should step up his game so he can crack the rotation or give up all his remaining guaranteed $$ so he can find that opportunity for PT.
So will people complain about Suns building a super team? They complained when Durant went to GSW so now will those same people complain now about the Suns?
When Durant went to GS, it was as a free agent to play with a contender who’s core was in it’s prime. This time around he’s joining a team that traded it’s depth at wing for him and features a star PG who’s 37. Definitely nowhere close to a superteam
Try to pretend but to get Durant GSW gave away Harrison Barnes for NOTHING. Suns core is in its prime after having the #1 seed last year. So Durant is going to a championship team again that was built for the WCF. Now they have 3 all stars on the team. That is the way of the NBA now building super teams.
True ARC, and didn’t they have to give away Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut also?
Warriors did it thru the the draft. Best way to build a strong team. But you have to draft well. And get lucky.
Love should go to the suns for a last hoorah. Cavs are not playing him, and why go to a less successful team at this juncture in his NBA career?