Cavaliers Intend to Retire Kevin Love's No. 0 Jersey in Future After Contract Buyout

Kevin Love's career with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Saturday after the sides agreed to a contract buyout, but the 2016 NBA champion's legacy will be enshrined in Cleveland forever.

The Cavaliers announced in a statement Saturday their plans to retire Love's No. 0 at some point in the future.

"…The admiration and gratitude we have for [Love] will ultimately land his jersey in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse," the statement reads.

When the Cavaliers retire Love's No. 0, he'll join Austin Carr (No. 34), Nate Thurmond (No. 42), Bobby "Bingo" Smith (No. 7), Larry Nance Sr. (No. 22), Mark Price (No. 25), Brad Daugherty (No. 43) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (No. 11) in having his jersey displayed in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse rafters.

Love had been with the Cavaliers since 2014 and was the last remaining player from Cleveland's 2016 NBA title squad. He hadn't appeared in any of the team's last 12 games leading up to the All-Star break, so he approached the team about a buyout.

"I'll have more to say soon but want to get this off my chest," Love said in a Twitter post. "To the people of Cleveland and all of Ohio. I f--king LOVE you…and always will. Thank you for everything.

"More to come."

While the 34-year-old was one of the most prominent big men in the NBA for much of his career, he had been relegated to a bench role in Cleveland over the last several seasons following the emergence of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

In 41 games (three starts) with the Cavs this season, Love averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 38.9 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite his struggles this season, he'll be remembered in Cleveland for being a significant contributor from 2014-15 through 2019-20 when he averaged 17.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from deep.

Now that he's a free agent, Love is be eligible to sign with any team. The Miami Heat are front-runners to land the veteran, per ESPN, but the Philadelphia 76ers have also expressed interest.