If one word could sum up Kevin Love’s season with the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, it would be one word: injured. Ever since Love signed his four-year, $120 million extension with Cleveland, which kicked in during the 2019-20 season, injured is the best way to summarize how things are going. Since signing that extension, Love has only appeared in 82 games over three seasons. That means Love has made approximately $1.03 million per game over the last three seasons and $7.8 million per game this year alone.
There’s also still $60.2 million over the next two seasons to go for both Love and the Cavaliers. That’s a ton of money for a player that would be incredibly useful on any team in the league but cannot stay healthy. It’s also why Cleveland has probably been struggling to find a trade partner to take on Love and his mammoth contract. Despite the former All-Star and NBA Champion demanding a trade last year, nothing has yet to materialize on the market for the Cavaliers. Granted, things could change and Love could put together a healthy string of games that boosts his trade value. But, until he can stay healthy, Love is likely going to be stuck on Cleveland’s roster.
“Kevin Love is a great player that’s making too much money and is injured too often,” said one Western Conference executive. “Unless he’s able to put together a string of productive, and healthy, games, it’s really hard for a general manager to justify trading for him to their owner.”
That is unless the Cavaliers were to agree to a contract buyout with Love and his agent. Buying out player contracts has become a fairly common practice in today’s NBA, with Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons being the latest example of this. According to sources, Griffin gave back approximately $13 million of the nearly $75 million owed to him through the 2021-22 season. But, that $13 million will still count against the Pistons’ salary cap. With this in mind, Detroit, which is in the midst of a rebuild, will have $37.8 million count against its salary cap this season and $38.9 million against the cap next season. Sure, the cost of cutting Griffin is significant for the Pistons but cap space is also meaningless when you’re rebuilding - especially as a team in a small market.
When it comes to Cleveland and Love’s situation, meanwhile, might take a similar approach to Detroit and Griffin, especially after Love was sidelined again by his nagging calf injury. If Love can come back for about 10 or 15 games for the Cavaliers this season and plays well, Cleveland might be able to trade him this upcoming offseason. While the price for the 32-year-old is steep, Love does possess a skill set that works beautifully in today’s NBA and he would make any contender better for it.
But, there’s reason to be skeptical that can happen for Love this year due to that recurring calf injury that’s sidelined him for the better part of the season. If Love is unable to play, then the Cavaliers need to approach him and his agent about a buyout agreement. In all honesty, they could come to terms with a deal comparable to Griffin. That means Cleveland would be on the books for $60.2 million over the next two seasons which, again, doesn’t mean much while in a rebuild. Or the Cavaliers could stretch Love’s contract over the next five seasons at approximately $12 million per season if they want to maintain salary flexibility.
For Love, this would allow him to spend the remainder of his NBA career playing for a championship contender either as a starter or off the bench. Considering how oft-injured he’s been, his remaining years in the NBA may be worth their weight in gold. According to sources, the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks have all interest in acquiring Love’s talents. If he were bought out by Cleveland, all of those teams would be tantalizing options for Love to sign with and allow him to compete for a championship.
For Cleveland, meanwhile, buying out the remainder of Love’s contract is partially about doing right by the former All-Star. Love was vital to the team winning their first championship in 2016 and he should be allowed to play for championships going forward. But, the Cavaliers can also start Larry Nance Jr. at the four long term, something that was only a matter of time. Nance is a jack of all trades, master of none for Cleveland and is an anchor on both ends of the floor. Dropping Love also allows the Cavaliers to open up an extra roster spot as well. With three second-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, Cleveland could take on a project player to develop with that extra space.
Getting Nance integrated, all while prioritizing the future, should be Cleveland’s primary goal going forward. That means having to say goodbye to Love one way or another. This is no disrespect towards Love, mind you. He’ll have his jersey hanging in Cleveland’s rafters one day. But, the team needs to prioritize the future and Love isn’t part of that vision going forward. A clean breakup is necessary for both sides to make that happen and that’s why a buyout makes sense if a trade fails to materialize.
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March 17, 2021 at 05:30PM
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The Cleveland Cavaliers Should Consider Buying Out Kevin Love’s Contract - Forbes
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