Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love has been listed as a potential buyout candidate in this off-season. Could the Portland Trail Blazers sign him in this off-season period?
Love is a 32-year-old big man who spent six years with the Cavaliers, where he won a title with LeBron James, and six years on the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was a rebounding machine in the 2010s.
Love is now officially a stretch big man who hits the defensive glass, but as a strong corner shooter, and a guy who has championship experience, if he came cheap he could be a nice addition to the Blazers.
When LeBron left Cleveland, the Cavs signed him to a big extension to give the team some stability. He was one of the last pieces left from the championship team, so it made sense to keep him around as the team rebuilt.
Due to injuries, the need to play young guys, coaching changes, and then Love’s frustrations with losing games, he has only played sparingly in the last three seasons. He has averaged around 1000 minutes per regular season, a big drop from around 2500 when he was in his prime.
Love, because of his defensive limitations and inability to guard the four position anymore, means he is probably a five-man now. This isn’t the end of the world, but like Blake Griffin or LaMarcus Aldridge, the power forward position has passed some of these guys by.
You have to be able to defend the quicker fours in what is a league that often goes small now.
Where Love could help the Blazers, is by playing as a backup stretch five. The Blazers don’t currently have a stretch five who can shoot threes from the corner at around 40 percent, and if paired with the right four-man in someone like Robert Covington, they could have an extra rotation option. In Cleveland, he hit exactly 40 percent on corner threes, on some of the highest volumes in the league.
Love doesn’t require the ball in his hands to make plays, but could act as a trigger man in dribble hand-offs or passing out of the high post. Love is an excellent passer for his size, and can run the above options or throw back door passes or long outlets the length of the court.
Contract-wise, because Love still has two years left on his deal at around $60 million total, there’s a good chance he gets bought out. There may be no point in the Cavs keeping him around with the focus on their young core and the impending number three pick in the NBA Draft.
Love could potentially give back some of the $60 million to help the Cavs lower their payroll, and then in exchange be released from the team to join another team. Then he would sign with a team on the veteran’s minimum to just get back on the court.
If the Blazers are looking for a stretch five who can rebound and pass, then Love could be their guy.