Cavaliers to part ways with last player of Cleveland's 2016 championship team / News - Basketnews.com

Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Love are finalizing a contract buyout. The Miami Heat is expected to emerge as a suitor for the last piece of Cleveland's 2016 championship team.

Credit: AP-SCANPIX Credit AP-SCANPIX

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Love are finalizing a contract buyout, with the Miami Heat expected to emerge as a suitor for the 34-year-old veteran should the sides finalize parting ways, according to Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

Kevin Love

MIN:19.92PTS:8.6 (48.12%)REB:6.75As:1.83ST:0.18BL:0.13TO:1.13GM:40ProfileNBA2022/2023

Love has spent the last nine seasons of his 15-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, being part of Cleveland's 2016 championship team and making consecutive All-Star teams in 2017 and 2018.

He is the last man standing of the 2016 championship squad. Prior to him, Matt Dellavedova, Channing Frye, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, Dahntay Jones, James Jones, Sasha Kaun, Jordan McRae, Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, and Mo Williams has left the team or retired.

Love, a five-time All-Star, averages 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists over 41 games this season.

He battled through a thumb injury earlier in the season and was removed from the Cavaliers' rotation in recent weeks. The latter decision inspired the talks about an exit.

Through 15 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-14) and Cleveland, he has averaged 17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 853 games (662 starts).

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