Kevin Love Opts Out of Cavaliers Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Kevin Love has decided to test free agency, opting out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers with one year remaining.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the decision Wednesday, and Tom Withers of the Associated Press confirmed the report.

Love's tenure in Cleveland was a mixed bag for the former All-Star despite the team's overall success. He appeared in 75 games during the regular season with his lowest points-per-game average (16.4) since 2009-10 and second-worst shooting percentage (43.4) of his career.

There were several games in which Love played sparingly or not at all in the fourth quarter.

The relationship between Love and LeBron James went through ebbs and flows, with Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reporting in March that James had grown frustrated with the 26-year-old:

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But several sources close to the situation in Cleveland claim that James has tried to make it work but that he’s frustrated by Love’s inability, and in some ways unwillingness, to get with the program.

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In January, Love told Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group he wasn't planning to opt out:

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I think that we will figure it out here, so I don't plan on opting out or any of that. I plan on being here. As far as leaving my options open, I mean sure, it's always there. At the end of the day, it's always good to have something but no, I plan on being here.

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A lot can change in a few months. Love suffered an injury early in Cleveland's playoff run that required season-ending surgery on his shoulder, which gave him a lot of time to think about things.

Prior to that injury in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, Love dropped 23 points in the previous game, and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today noted how the Cavs were making a "pitch" to keep him around:

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James expressed how important Love is to the Cavaliers and said for the Cavaliers to get where they wanted to go, Love needed to play his game. James said he knows what kind of competitor Love is, how cerebral he is.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving is close with Love and on Thursday, Irving called Love one of his brothers, saying "when one of your brothers goes down, there's a piece of us that went with him."

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The Cavaliers will still have a chance to retain Love. They just need to balance what he wants with what they believe he's worth.

Love is not far removed from being one of the best players in the NBA and is still young enough to reach that level again. His free agency will be one of the most fascinating stories to follow this summer.