Report: Kevin Love plans to sign with Miami Heat
It looks like Kevin Love is headed to Miami.
After agreeing to a contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Love is planning to sign a deal with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers, ESPN reported Sunday.
The 34-year-old Love is a five-time NBA All-Star, but he had fallen out of the Cavs' rotation ahead of the All-Star break. Love hadn’t seen the court in 12 consecutive games and subsequently requested a buyout from Cleveland, where he played since 2014 and won a championship in 2016.
Love was in the final season of a four-year deal with Cleveland and is averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9% from the field and 35.4% from long distance. Love, a 15-year veteran who began his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has career averages of 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Love has been dealing with a thumb injury during the year, but has the chance to play a fairly significant role off the bench for the Heat behind Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. Love also reportedly had talks with the Philadelphia 76ers before choosing to play for Miami.
Miami is currently 32-27 overall and occupies the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. Cleveland, meanwhile, is 38-23 and in fourth place in the East at the break.
