Kevin Love has found a new home in the NBA. After agreeing to a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Love will sign with the Miami Heat for the remainder of the season. he confirmed Sunday. Love also spoke to the Philadelphia 76ers before deciding to sign with the Heat. He’s playing a significant role on the Heat as Miami makes a playoff push through the back end of the season.
In Miami, Love will add some extra frontcourt depth to the Heat and give them forward ground clearance that can still knock down 3s at a high clip. In the season, Love shoots 35 percent from long range and he is a career shooter at 37 percent from beyond.
Love played for the Cavs for nine seasons from 2014-2023 and played a key role as the team made four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-2018 and won the first championship in franchise history in 2016. He was the last remaining member of that team in Cleveland. He is sixth in franchise history in total rebounds and ninth in total points. Due to his contributions to the franchise, the Cavs plan to honor Love by retiring his No. 0 jersey going forward.
“Kevin Love had an outstanding run with the Cavaliers, including memorable on-court moments, four NBA Finals appearances and an NBA championship in 2016,” Koby Altman, the Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement. “Kevin represented the organization and the city of Cleveland with the utmost charm and professionalism during his nine seasons in Northeast Ohio.
“He also embodied everything a franchise player would expect in a player and the admiration and gratitude we have for him will ultimately end up his jersey in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. We thank Kevin for his influence and wish him nothing but the best, knowing that he has forever cemented his place in the hearts of Cavaliers fans and this organization.”
Love will become the ninth player to have his number retired by the Cavaliers, alongside Bingo Smith (No. 7), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (No. 11), Larry Nance (No. 22), Mark Price (No. 25), Austin Carr (#34), Nate Thurmond (#42), Brad Daugherty (#43), and Bill Russell (#6). It is expected that Cleveland will also retire the No. 23 from LeBron James when his playing days are over.
Even at 34, Love still has the potential to make a difference for a Miami team that has struggled to find consistency this season. The Heat currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, which would qualify them for the play-in tournament when the season ends today. However, they are only half a game behind the Knicks in 6th place, so they still have time to move up the standings.
While Love won’t be able to single-handedly provide enough of a boost to propel Miami to the top of the East, he still has enough in the tank to make a positive impact on the team.