Kevin Love Not Expected to Pursue Cavaliers Contract Buyout, Koby Altman Says
Kevin Love didn't get traded ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, and despite falling out of Cleveland's rotation, it appears he isn't a buyout candidate either.
Cavaliers' president of basketball operations Koby Altman told reporters that he hasn't discussed the buyout possibility with either Love or his representation.
"I have not been approached by them at all and I don't anticipate it either," he said.
Love hasn't appeared in the past five games for the team, with the Cavaliers utilizing a younger roster around the core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
"It's not easy for Kevin, I'm sure," Altman said. "I've had conversations with him. He wants to play. I think he'll have an opportunity to play again this year. But where we're at now, I think [head coach J.B. Bickerstaff] is really comfortable with the rotation that we have."
Add this latest twist to Love's ongoing saga in Cleveland.
The 34-year-old had a fascinating, roller coaster of a stint with the Cavs. After averaging 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game during the 2013-14 season—his last with the Minnesota Timberwolves—his numbers fizzled in his first year in Cleveland, as he averaged 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
While Love struggled in his first season to carve his niche with the team, he ultimately signed a five-year, $110 million contract extension prior to the 2015-16 campaign.
His struggles fitting into Cleveland's offense continued into that season, however, as he posted 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest. And he was a non-factor in the NBA Finals, averaging just 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game as the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors and won the organization's first NBA title.
Love did come up with a few notable moments in those Finals, including an impressive defensive stop on Steph Curry late in Game 7. And he was more effective in the 2016-17 season, averaging 19.0 points and 11.1 rebounds.
But the Cavaliers fell short against the Warriors for the second time in three years, and Kyrie Irving was traded to Boston.
His inconsistency also remained, though he was largely asked to be the second option on offense behind LeBron James. He averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and Cleveland was simply less dangerous without Irving, even after a series of midseason trades shook up the lineup.
The Cavaliers made the Finals but were swept by Golden State, as Love and Cleveland's supporting cast simply couldn't do enough to aid the herculean efforts of James.
And once James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavaliers went into a rebuild mode. While Love signed a contract extension with Cleveland, he spent much of the 2018-19 season out of action with a toe injury, playing in just 22 contests.
He played just 81 total games between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, though he bounced back with 74 appearances for the Cavs last year, averaging 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in a role off the bench.
But with Cleveland building around a young core, it seemed Love would either be moved in a trade or bought out.
Apparently not. With free agency pending for Love in the summer, however, his time in Cleveland has a distinct expiration date.
