Kevin Love Rumors: Cavs Star Hasn't 'Discussed or Considered' Retirement amid Injury
July 17, 2021
After withdrawing from the United States men's basketball team prior to the Olympics, Kevin Love's playing future in the NBA is starting to become a subject of speculation.
Per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the five-time All-Star hasn't "discussed or considered" retirement as he recovers from a calf injury that plagued him during the 2020-21 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fedor did note that Love will sit down with Cavs management "at some point soon" to discuss his future.
Through his agent, Jeff Schwartz, Love provided a statement to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday announcing his decision to withdraw from Team USA: "I am incredibly disappointed to not be heading to Tokyo with Team USA, but you need to be at absolute peak performance to compete at the Olympic level, and I am just not there yet."
The Cavs forward was a surprise inclusion on the final 12-man roster for the U.S. team. He missed 47 games this season because of injuries. The 32-year-old originally injured his calf during the preseason and reaggravated it in the third game of the season Dec. 27.
After missing six weeks, Love returned to the lineup for two games, starting March 12. He missed two more weeks from March 16-April 1 with lingering calf issues.
Love's 12.2 points per game this season was the second-lowest total of his career (11.1 as a rookie in 2008-09).
The Cavs still owe Love $60.2 million over the final two seasons of his contract.