Where Will Kevin Love Land?
CLEVELAND- Well, it’s official, 2016 is officially over. Kevin Love and the Cavaliers are nearing a buyout which will make him an unrestricted free agent; leaving him to sign wherever he chooses.
Love’s buyout request came just hours before Wednesday's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs started flat to start the game which was peculiar given the significance of the game and being as they were riding a 7-game win streak.
The lack of energy from the Cavs became clearer when the report was published that he had requested a buyout. Love has struggled in year 15 shooting only 38.9% from the field and averaging only 8.5 points per game (the lowest of his career).
This led to the Cavs ultimately slashing Love's minutes. However, Kevin Love still believes he has a lot of basketball left in him and wants to go somewhere his services are utilized.
Many teams are already showing interest in Love, but here are a few that make the most sense.
Los Angelas Lakers
The easy and most predictable spot for Love to land. The Lakers struggles from behind the arc have been well-documented this year. The Lakers currently rank 26th in 3-point FG percentage shooting 33.7% from the field. Now, the Lakers have made moves at the deadline to bolster their offense, but none of them are the spot-up three-point shooters that Lebron is used to playing with. At this point in his career, Kevin Love would be a perfect spot up forward who will stretch out defenses and open up lanes for Lebron and Anthony Davis. Love has struggled from three as of late, but even so, if he was added to the Lakers he would still have the 2nd highest season three-point percentage amongst their starters, only behind D’Angelo Russell (39%). Lebron James' championship-led teams are known to have shooters surrounding him at all times. Think of the early Heat teams with Shane Battier and Mike Miller; or his Cavs teams with JR Smith, Channing Frye, and Kyle Korver. Lebron will be lobbying for Rob Pelinka to take a shot on Love.
Phoenix Suns
This is an interesting destination for Love. The Suns acquiring Kevin Durant at the deadline shook the NBA, but it also shook up the Suns roster. The Suns retained their core of stars in Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton, but they lost some key contributors in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. Now, a small price to pay for the arguable best player in the league, but leaves some gaps in an already shaky Phoenix bench. The Suns rank as the 11th-best team in bench scoring, which on paper is not bad. However, in their last four games, the Suns have ranked as the 20th-best bench in the league. A steady decline could be the only thing that could keep them from a championship. Kevin Love would give the Suns a scoring weapon off the bench with Finals experience. If Kevin Love wants another shot at a title, as well as playing time, Phoenix would be a good fit.
Dallas Mavericks
This may be surprising to some, but this could be a great match with the Mavs. Similar to Lebron, Luka Doncic thrives on playing inside out, hitting his spot-up shooters on the wings. Also, similar to the Suns situation with Durant, the Mavs had to give up one of their premier scorers in Spencer Dinwiddie but gained a much more powerful offensive threat in Kyrie Irving. However, the Mavs also lost a key piece in stretch forward Dorian Finney Smith. Finney-Smith averaged 5.4 three-point attempts per game, which was the third most, only behind Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic. Finney-Smith was not a primary scoring threat for the Mavs offense, only averaging 9.1 points per game, but he was an important outlet for Doncic. This would be a perfect scenario for both Love and the Mavs. Love gets the minutes he is searching for while being a vital part of the offense, and the Mavs get an upgrade at their stretch forward position in Love to go along with Max Kleber, Reggie Bullock, and Christian Wood.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have taken the NBA by storm this year with their young core. Currently, the Grizzlies sit as the second seed in the Western Conference and are primed for a playoff run. However, they may need some reinforcements as far as shooting, and their bench is concerned. Right now the Grizzlies bench is ranked 22nd in bench scoring and is ranked 24th in three-point percentage shooting at only 36.4%. The only players shooting above 40% from three are Desmond Bane and newly acquired Luke Kennard, who has played just two games with the Grizzlies. If the Grizzlies look to capitalize on a potential championship run, now might be the time to do it. Love would not only give them a much-needed boost off the bench, but he would also give them championship experience that would help them in the playoffs. Having a stretch forward to go with Ja Morant could open up the offense and even help Morant become more of a distributor.