Lloyd: Kevin Love’s final days in Cleveland, his quiet departure and his lasting legacy


We sat on the bench together inside Cleveland Clinic Courts talking about what was and what will be. LeBron James was in Los Angeles by this point and Kevin Love was still in Cleveland.

That seemed impossible during their time together. Love always assumed when James left, he would follow out the door behind him. When it happened, when James actually left town again, Love still had a year left on his contract and he hoped the Cavs would work with him to send him someplace he wanted to go. But the team pivoted. They weren’t interested in gutting the organization again and instead agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension to keep him here.

Love knew it was probably more money than he would’ve gotten in free agency in a year, so he stayed. The Cavs staged the contract signing in front of team employees and construction crews working on the arena renovation project. It was a celebration that Love chose to stay.

A few months later, as training camp began without James and without title hopes, I asked Love if he could still be an impact player by the time the Cavs returned to contention.

“That’s the tough part, for lack of a better term,” he said. “The idea would be to have it not take too long, but that’s easier said than done in this league, especially when you have these juggernaut teams at the top.”

Five years later, we have our answer. Love’s time in Cleveland will end unceremoniously, just one more DNP-CD at the end of the bench following the Cavs’ loss at Philadelphia on Thursday to conclude the first half of the schedule. It will likely be his last time in a Cleveland jersey. Love and the Cavs are finalizing a buyout that should occur over this All-Star break, multiple sources told The Athletic.

It’s a shame it had to end this way. After three turbulent years between Love and the Cavs following James’ departure, things smoothed out these last two years as the Cavs returned to contention much faster than I ever thought possible. Love had his share of injuries and on-court blowups amid frustration from all the losing, but things were trending better the last couple of years.

Love agreed to step back last year and come off the bench to make room for Evan Mobley. He stayed healthy and thrived in a sixth-man role. This year his season has cratered in part to a thumb injury and the worst shooting season he’s had in 10 years. He told me a few weeks ago the thumb was feeling better and he thought he was turning a corner. He expected it all to turn around any day now. It never came. Now his relationship with some in the organization is strained again, which is part of what led to the buyout. Love wants to play and didn’t like falling out of the rotation completely. His next destination, whether Miami or elsewhere, will likely be a place where he believes he can get on the court again.

The Cavs didn’t get nearly the return they expected on the extension, but they stayed patient through the ups and downs for years. When he came to them recently and asked for a buyout, they acquiesced.

He’s 34 now and it’s fair to wonder how much he has left. We spoke earlier this season about his desire to end his career here. What an ending that would make, particularly after all the trauma and drama following those first couple of seasons here without LeBron.

Love came here strictly for James and the chance to win a championship. LeBron called him the day he announced he was returning to Cleveland. Love was in Los Angeles driving to the gym for a workout when he saw James was calling. He pulled the car over to hear LeBron’s sales pitch and immediately agreed. He was in. The Cavs and Timberwolves worked out the details and instantly the Cavs vaulted from a floundering rebuild to contenders with a legitimate Big Three.

Cleveland had actually pursued Love previously, before LeBron came home. Love had no interest. But James’ presence, as usual, changed everything. LeBron provided Love an opportunity to win and Love provided LeBron the floor spacing big he desperately needed. Their relationship was choppy at times, but ultimately they both delivered for the other.

Congrats from a friend.@kevinlove x @KingJames | #ScoringKing pic.twitter.com/VHWwX6apx5

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 8, 2023

The championship seemed to unburden Love more than anyone else. Kyrie Irving, LeBron and Love will forever be linked by The Shot, The Block and The Stop. Love’s role in it, his defense on Steph Curry at the end of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, immortalized him in Cleveland forever.

Love began to change and evolve following the championship. He won a world championship and Olympic gold, but he coveted an NBA title. I remember Love’s wrestling belt and his cigar during the parade. He smiled through dehydration underneath the searing sun. Where he was once sullen and quiet when he got here, he began to loosen up and let others in. He smiled more often. He was relaxed. He came to terms with his anxiety and depression and became an unofficial spokesperson for mental health. We texted about childhood suicide rates. The recent surge in childhood suicides bothered him deeply.

Now, as the Cavs are opening a new contention window, the last link to their title team is leaving. It’s a Greek tragedy of sorts. After the way Irving departed, it’s unfortunate Love leaves like this, too. Both sides did their best to keep buyout talks private — a number of Cavs players were unaware he is leaving.

But the good days far outweighed the bad during Love’s nine years here. His jersey will hang in the rafters one day, and I believe he’s a Hall of Famer. The day he gets in, it will be in a Cavs jersey. He’ll be canonized in Cleveland forever, receiving the same roaring ovation that Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson and everyone else from that title team receives whenever they’re back in town. It’s how he wants it. It’s how it should be.

“I always want to be able to come back here, and I will. I will come back,” Love told me a few years ago. “I will come back. I see Brad Daugherty comes around, Larry (Nance Sr.) is around, Mark Price and Z, Dahntay Jones was up here the other night. … That’s the cool part about Cleveland. If you just play hard, have a relationship with the organization and the fans … I feel like if you play at a place long enough, that’s all you can ask for.”

Moral victories don't count, but I was really impressed with how the Cavs stuck with it after a 21 first quarter deficit; played about even for the next 2 1/2 quarters and then really turned it on. Came really close on the road against a team ahead of them in the standings and a possible 2nd round opponent. Interesting matchup with the Sixers looms

Windhorst feels that Love is headed to the Suns.

Woohoo hope so!

We just bought a place here in Phoenix so they are my #1B adopted home team.

Donovan Mitchell checks off another first from his list as he returns to Utah for All-Star Game

NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 10: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on February 10, 2023 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
By Kelsey Russo
7h ago



Donovan Mitchell has experienced many firsts this season.

He was traded for the first time in his NBA career in September in a blockbuster move to the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz.

When the 2022-23 season began, he stepped onto the floor for the first time in a Cavs jersey on opening night against the Toronto Raptors. He also had his first home game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Then there was his first game against the Knicks in New York — a team he was rumored to be traded to throughout the summer. There was Utah’s visit to Cleveland in December. Then, Mitchell returned to Vivint Arena in January for the first time since he was traded and received a warm welcome from Jazz fans in Salt Lake City.

Now, as the Cavs head into the All-Star break, Mitchell will experience another first of this season with Cleveland — returning to Utah as an All-Star starter. It’s the fourth All-Star selection of his career, but his first as a starter. After hearing he was in the starting five, Mitchell said the honor was “humbling” and something “I’m not going to take for granted.”

“To be there my first time as a starter back on the team that I was a fan of as a kid, there’s just so many different things you can point to,” Mitchell said. “And at some point in time, probably Thursday or Friday, I probably sit there, and kind of decompress and just appreciate the moment because at the end of the day, you’ve got to appreciate the little things because that’s something that I’ve really been big on this year is appreciating the little things.”
Donovan Mitchell (Chris Nicoll / USA Today)

Mitchell still has a few more firsts this season, but he didn’t divulge what is next on his list. For now, he wants to take the time to relax over the break but also cherishes the moment of being back in Utah.

Mitchell arrived in Salt Lake City a few days before the big game. The Cavs star organized a comedy show on Thursday to give back to Kearns High School, one of the first schools Mitchell got involved with after being selected 13th overall out of Louisville in the 2017 NBA Draft. The show, called the DONS of Comedy, featured Chris Spencer, Earthquake, Tiffany Haddish and host DeRay Davis. All proceeds from the show were donated to Kearns High School.

“I think, for me, you have learned to appreciate those moments,” Mitchell said. “You learn to appreciate those things because they saw me grow up. I was a young kid, just happy to be drafted and then given a role to be one of the leaders on the team early, making the playoffs, having big moments, having struggles, ups, downs and to grow into who I am today, I’m forever grateful, forever thankful.”

Mitchell is having a career season and thriving on the fourth-place Cavs (38-23). He is averaging a career-high 27.3 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from 3, also career highs. This season, Mitchell became the seventh player in NBA history to record a game of 70-plus points when he scored 71 points in an overtime win against Chicago on Jan. 2. He joined the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor and Devin Booker, who all accomplished the feat.

As coach J.B. Bickerstaff reflected on what Mitchell has done individually, he pointed to his scoring, playmaking and moments like his 71-point game in December that have helped the Cavs win.

“Those are things that when you give yourself a chance to appreciate, you just gain a ton of respect for him,” Bickerstaff said. “The way he goes out and competes at such a high level. But most importantly, he represents the things that we’ve tried to embody here since we started this thing four years ago.

“He’s completely selfless. He’s only about the team, and like, his numbers aren’t empty numbers that don’t impact winning. What he does possession by possession has an influence on the outcome of the game, and he does what’s needed of us. And again, he’s bought into the team. So, I think we should acknowledge more of the guys that are that way, who are superstar caliber, but not only as individuals, their superstar teammates as well, and I think that’s what Donovan is.”

Teammates and staff gathered, cheered and presented All-Stars Mitchell and Evan Mobley, who is taking part in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, with a decorated basketball before Monday’s home game.

“I think he represents a lot,” Raul Neto said of Mitchell. “We are a team that is happy with each other’s successes. But I think he will represent our whole team. I think he knows that he wouldn’t be there without our team, so I think we’re all happy for him. I think it’ll be special for him being back in Utah.”

Kevin Love reportedly drawing interest from West contender
Story by Rory Maher, Hoops Rumors • Yesterday 11:51 PM



The Suns are among the teams interested in Kevin Love if he finalizes a buyout with the Cavaliers, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in an appearance on "Pardon the Interruption."

As Windhorst points out, Love was teammates with Suns president of basketball operations James Jones when Cleveland won its lone championship in 2016, so there’s a connection there. Love also played with Kevin Durant and Chris Paul on Team USA in 2012, when the Americans went undefeated in the London Olympics.

The Suns have an open roster spot and both their taxpayer mid-level and biannual exceptions available, so they could offer Love more than a minimum-salary contract if they’re so inclined.

According to Windhorst, Love requested the buyout due to a lack of playing time, having been a healthy scratch for the past 12 games. Windhorst suggests the Cavs weren’t “thrilled” with the request, but they had gone 9-3 with Love out of the rotation, so they didn’t want to switch things up when they’re having success without him.

Is there some other big guy who's been bought out available for Cavs to sign to replace Kevin?

Terry Pluto on Kevin Love:



What should we make of the Cavs saying goodbye to Kevin Love? – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A contract buyout during the All-Star break? This is how it ends for Kevin Love in Cleveland?

That would have been nearly impossible to imagine when the Cavs opened the basketball year.

Love was coming off a superb 2021-22 season, having reinvented himself as a veteran coming off the bench. He played in 74 games, the most for him since the championship 2015-16 season.

The 6-foot-9 Love averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 22 minutes per game last season. He connected on 39% of his 3-pointers. He gave the Cavs the “Stretch-4,” loved by analytics. That’s a tall power forward who can make 3-pointers and also rebound.
Love was healthy, happy and productive. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff connected with the 34-year-old veteran, who embraced a leadership role.

There were many reasons to believe Love could do the same this season.

Only, it didn’t happen.

The main problem was an early-season thumb injury on his shooting hand. Those line-drive jumpers that went through the hoop for most of his career were banging off rim. Love also had some back problems.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

But something else was happening, something that became apparent when the Cavs lost 107-101 to Atlanta in the 2022 play-in game.

Cleveland was having a hard time scoring. Watching the game, I wanted Love to play more. He was on the court for only 10 minutes. He was 1 of 2 shooting for three points.

The Cavs were outscored by eight points in the 10 minutes Love played. I still believe he could have helped the team if they had stayed with him longer in that game. He played only a single minute in the second half.

Bickerstaff never said it, but that was the beginning of the coaching staff wondering if Love could be effective in the playoffs.

The reason?

Defense. The coaches believed Love was struggling when isolated in pick-and-roll situations where he ended up covering a quick guard.
In the previous play-in game, the Cavs lost 115-108 to Brooklyn. Love ended up isolated on Kyrie Irving, much like he was on Atlanta’s Trae Young. But against the Nets, Love scored 14 points, had 13 rebounds and the Cavs outscored Brooklyn by 10 points with him on the court.

OW IT CHANGED FOR LOVE

As Love had problems shooting the ball after the thumb injury, his defensive problems became a bigger concern.

Bickerstaff loves defense. He praises big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley because they can defend smaller guards in those defensive-switching situations. Seven-foot Lauri Markkanen (now with Utah) demonstrated he could do that last season.

Bickerstaff sees Dean Wade as his Markkanen this season. He doesn’t need the 6-foot-9 Wade to score a lot. The Cavs have plenty of offense with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and the emerging Mobley. It also seems the 7-foot Allen never misses when he’s near the rim.

As for Wade, this is complicated, but he leads all Cavs players in plus/minus (10.3 points) when he’s on the court per 100 possessions. Jarrett Allen (7.8) and Cedi Osman (7.8) are next, followed by Ricky Rubio (7.7). Love was at 3.5.

It’s a bit of a strange stat, but the Cavs are analytically driven. They keep looking for players who can fit with other players. They seek numbers to help them figure out the combinations – especially with role players.

The coaches love what Wade means to the team coming off the bench.
have been wrong about Love before, believing his career was close to over.

On May 2, 2021, I wrote a column urging the Cavs to buy out Love (which they are doing now) if they couldn’t trade him. He had missed 112 of 208 games over the previous three seasons. He was battling injury after injury, worn down by the losing, and pouted at times.

The Cavs wisely ignored my advice, keeping Love for the 2021-22 season. The veteran revived his career and helped the rebuilding process. He was runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award..

But that was last season. Now, it’s a different story:

1. He’s averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20 minutes a game. He’s shooting .389 (.354 on 3-pointers).

2. He injured his right thumb diving for a loose ball on Nov. 18. Since then, he is shooting .363 from the field and .308 on 3-pointers.

3. It’s not improving. In January, Love is 11 of 48 from 3-point range. Long-range shooting (and his defensive rebounding) are what make Love valuable.
4. Bickerstaff has not used in him the last 12 games. Three times, he was not active despite being healthy.

If the Cavs aren’t going to play him, why keep him? Yes, it’s possible the team can be hit with massive injuries and need another big man. But Love has lost playing time to Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens.

You can debate coaching decisions, but those are the facts.

S IT AGE OR INJURY?

The message was clear to Love in the last dozen games where he sat the bench: It’s over in Cleveland.

My guess is the Cavs were waiting for Love to approach them about buying out what remains of his $29 million contract. There apparently was no trade market for him – not at that price.

Love will be a free agent in the summer. He wants to play again next season. He also wants to prove he can still play right now.

Don’t blame him for asking the Cavs to set him free. Love knows the Cavs have lost confidence in him. Why else is he sitting out night after night?

Is it age or injury that has led to his problems on the court this season? His thumb reportedly is feeling much better.

This is Love’s 15th NBA season, the last nine in Cleveland. He has played 853 NBA games. He twice signed lucrative contract extensions to stay with the Cavs. He was a big part of the 2016 title team. He sacrificed a lot of his scoring to fit in with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving during his first three years in Cleveland.

Love deserves to have his number retired by the Cavs. I love (pun intended) what he has done for this franchise.

I still believe he’s a productive player off the bench in the right situation. But that’s not Cleveland under the current circumstances.

LA Clippers will waive 7'2" Moses Brown, per sources. Opens up a two-way contract slot in addition to the open standard contract slot. Post trade deadline evaluation period continues.

The Cavs Should Sign This Former Los Angeles Clipper
Story by Tommy Wild • 2h ago
Comments




The Cleveland Cavaliers should sign former Los Angeles Clippers center Moses Brown.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to upgrade their roster without making a single trade at the deadline. They did this by signing Danny Green in the buyout market.

Cleveland can boost their team by making a similar move with a player that is available and on the market right now.

A report came out on Friday that the Los Angeles Clippers had waived center Moses Brown who had previously been on a two-way contract with the team. The Cavs should jump all over this opportunity and sign Brown for the remainder of the year.

We already know that he'd be a perfect fit because we've seen him on this team before. Brown was a part of Cleveland's rotation for 14 games towards the end of the 2021-22 season and even started in six of them. In those games, he averaged 6.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Even though this was last season, the Cavs share a similar style of play and mindset as they did last year.

According to another wing the clear number one task on Koby Altman's deadline to-do list. Not too far behind that though was to somehow get a backup center to come in behind Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.


Robin Lopez is on the Cavs' roster and is a good veteran presence to have on the roster. However, when it comes down to it Brown would be a much better fit on the floor with the pick-n-roll offense that Clevland runs.

Standing at seven-foot-two Brown also serves as a rim protector on the defensive end.



The Cavs need to get a backup center and it would cost them no assets to sign Brown for the rest of the season. It's a no-brainer.

One other name for the last roster spot. Isiah Mobley.

The Miami Heat have emerged as leaders to sign five-time All-Star Kevin Love after he completes buyout with Cleveland, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Interested teams believe Miami's ability to offer a defined role and playoff positioning are leading factors.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 18, 2023

One other name for the last roster spot. Isiah Mobley.

Has anyone read about Isaiah's development with the Charge?

Whatever it has been, I would expect at this point they'd want a veteran for the last spot, replacing Love. Apparently they dont' think much of Lopez; he hardly ever gets in outside of garbage time.

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn
·
28m
After clearing waivers, Kevin Love plans to sign with the Miami Heat, his agent Jeff Schwartz of
@Excelbasketball
tells ESPN.

Would have been nice to treat Kevin to another Cavs playoff run. Good luck with the Heat; at least I'm glad it's not the 76ers