Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers are finalizing a contract buyout, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd reported Wednesday night, citing sources.
If the contract buyout is completed, Love's availability could be appealing to the Warriors, who have an open roster spot and have a need for size on the roster.
While Love hasn't officially been linked to the Warriors, NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole listed Love as one of five potential buyout candidates who fit Golden State's biggest needs.
"...The 6-foot-8 forward remains a very credible rebounder and 3-point shooter (35.4 percent this season, 7.2 percent for his career) and would offer the value of spacing," Poole wrote last Thursday. "Love has not been a full-time starter since 2020-21 and he’s averaging 20.0 minutes per game in Cleveland, but the Warriors are not looking for heavy minutes."
Charania and Lloyd reported, citing sources, that the Miami Heat could emerge as a possible landing spot for Love, who has played in 41 games for the Cavs this season but has been inactive since Jan. 26.
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers told reporters during a press conference Monday morning that the team will explore the buyout market for a player who can help the defending NBA champions, but he made it clear they won't sign a player just for the sake of making a move.
Golden State Warriors
"It's also determining how the coaches will use that player," Myers said. "For us to say, 'Here's a big guy,' and the coaching staff to say, 'We're not playing that guy,' it doesn't matter if he's 7-feet tall or 8-feet tall. Any buyout conversation has to be done in collaboration with the coaching staff, because why bring a player in if they're not going to use him?
"But if there's a player the coaching staff and the front office thinks can be helpful, absolutely. We'll go target that guy."
Myers will collaborate with coach Steve Kerr and his staff to make sure any player considered for the 15th and final roster spot will actually be part of the rotation for the last 24 regular-season games and any possible NBA play-in or playoff games.
"I think we have to look and see, whether it's that or it's another player or whatever it might be and compare and say to Steve, 'Hey, these are your options: Which player do you think helps us most?' and make that determination," Myers explained. "Again, they're going to play, especially with this many games left in the season.
"This is never a thing where, at least not here, where we say, 'Hey, play this player. This is the guy.' It's a collaboration and we have to fit the system. We have to fit what will work here and what does work here, and that's the conversation with the coaching staff."
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If Love ends up with the Warriors, he would be reunited with childhood friend Klay Thompson, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done before that can happen.