Heat's Kevin Love Says He's Not Ruling out Return to Cavaliers to Finish NBA Career

Despite having an at-times contentious relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Love would be open to a reunion with the team before his NBA career comes to an end.

Speaking to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Love said he is "definitely open to coming back and retiring" with the Cavs.

The Cavs made a surprise move in February by agreeing to a contract buyout with Love. General manager Koby Altman had said they didn't anticipate parting ways with the five-time All-Star during the season after he was moved out of the nine-man rotation by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff noted they still believed Love was "capable of helping us in big moments, because he has that experience and has been through those pressures."

There were times over the years when Love let his frustration get the better of him on the court. He issued an apology in April 2021 for slapping the ball on an inbounds pass right into the hands of Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson, who passed it off to Malachi Flynn for an easy bucket.

Love signed with the Miami Heat after his buyout with the Cavs was finalized. The 35-year-old carved out a role in head coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation over the final 21 regular-season games. He was very effective in the playoffs with a 37.5 percent success rate from three-point range.

The Heat signed Love in free agency. He was supposed to play his first matchup against the Cavs in Cleveland on Nov. 22, but the team's injury report released on the day of the game listed him as out due to personal reasons.

Love played nine seasons in Cleveland from 2014 to '23. He was named to the All-Star team twice and helped the franchise win the NBA Finals during the 2015-16 season.