Things seemed to have changed quickly for Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
About a week after Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman told reporters that he did not expect to discuss a purchase with Love, The Athletic reported that the two sides are closing in on the matter.
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Kevin Love speaks with Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff during a New Orleans Pelicans game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on January 16, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Love and the Cavaliers are «finalizing» a purchase agreement for the four-time All-Star to seek playing time elsewhere, The Athletic reported Wednesday night. If the deal goes through, the Miami Heat are expected to be interested in the veteran player to suit up behind Bam Adebayo.
The Cavaliers acquired Love in the summer of 2014 when LeBron James returned to the franchise. The trade helped establish a «Big Three» in Cleveland with Love, James and Kyrie Irving. And through the constant changes and ups and downs within the organization, Love has stuck with the team. His starting minutes have decreased but he has become a key bench in the last two years.
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love warms up before a Pelicans game in New Orleans, Friday, February 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Love has only started seven games in that span, but his mentorship has proven valuable. He was averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists off the bench. But in recent games, he’s fallen out of JB Bickerstaff’s rotation. He hasn’t played in the last eight games and was inactive for three games before that. He last appeared for the Cavaliers on January 24 against the New York Knicks.
Altman said before the trade deadline that there were no discussions about buying Love.
«I haven’t been approached by them at all and I don’t anticipate it either,» he said. «It’s not easy for Kevin, I’m sure. I’ve had talks with him. He wants to play. I think he’ll have a chance to play again this year. But where we are now, I think [head coach J.B. Bickerstaff] He’s really comfortable with the rotation we have.»
Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers before the 76ers game at the Wells Fargo Center on February 15, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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With the Cavaliers being as successful as they have been this season, Love can’t find his way into the rotation. The recent acquisition of Danny Green would also make playing time more difficult, as Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio have also been out with injuries.
Associated Press contributed to this report.