According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Kevin Love has declined his player option to return to Miami, however, there’s optimism another deal could be struck between Love and the Heat.
Wojnarowski tweeted out the news Saturday morning. He reports:
“ESPN Sources: Miami Heat F/C Kevin Love is declining his $4M player option, but both sides are enthusiastic about negotiating a new deal in the opening days of free agency. The five-time All-Star has played the past two seasons with the Heat.”
Love arrived in Miami after a long stint with the Cavaliers, which ended in 2023 when he was bought out so he could pursue other options. Ultimately, he landed with the Heat, playing the rest of the ’23 season with them, including the remarkable NBA Finals run as the Eastern Conference No. 8 seed. He then spent all of the 2023-24 season in Miami.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old Love enters his 17th season in the NBA in 2024-25, and while his production has dropped off dramatically since his prime, Miami might still want to keep a veteran big body around if they can retain him at a reasonable price.
Of course, Love started his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was the face of the franchise for over half a decade. He won the Most Improved Player award in his third season, 2011, when he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game. He peaked in his final season with Minnesota, averaging north of 26 points and 12 rebounds while making second-team All-NBA.
That would be the last year he averaged 20+ as Love was then traded to the Cavaliers in a blockbuster deal to play third fiddle to Kyrie Irving an LeBron James.
Love’s individual numbers and accolades certainly took a dive, but the sacrifice was all worth it, as Love was a keystone piece in helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first and only NBA title in 2016. And it’s definitely not hyperbole to consider that ’16 Finals as perhaps the most important of the 21st century.
Just think about it. The Warriors were heading towards back to back championships, and it’s nearly impossible to believe that Kevin Durant would then link up with them if they truly were coming off two straight rather than being hungry to get back to glory.
Plus, it’s the ultimate LeBron title, one of the most impressive in history for one player. He and the Cavaliers slayed the greatest regular season team of all time and were the only team over a four-year span to even defeat the Warriors in the postseason. That series is about as historically important as it gets, and Kevin Love will forever be remembered as a primary piece of that Cavaliers team.
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