Getty Images Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Philadelphia 76ers are in talks to bring in veteran big man Kevin Love after his buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers, a new report indicates.
The Sixers held off on making any blockbuster moves at the recently passed trade deadline, but have been active in the buyout and free agency market. After signing veteran big man Dewayne Dedmon to bring some depth behind MVP candidate Joel Embiid, the Sixers could have another move up their sleeve. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on February 18 that the Sixers are in the running for Love and will be meeting with him before he decides on his next destination.
“ESPN Sources: Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers have completed a contract buyout,” Wojnarowski tweeted on Saturday. “The Miami Heat are a frontrunner to sign Love, but he plans to talk to the Philadelphia 76ers before making a decision.”
Heat Still Frontrunner to Land Kevin Love
The Sixers are seen as a bit of a darkhorse candidate for Love, with insiders pegging the Heat as his most likely destination. The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd noted that Miami would be able to offer a significant role for the veteran big man while still being competitive in the Eastern Conference.
“The Heat have an open roster spot and have canvassed the market recently for a big man, sources said. Miami could offer Love a reserve role with ample minutes behind All-Star Bam Adebayo,” the report noted. “Miami is seventh in the East at 32-27, but only a half-game behind the sixth-place Knicks and 2 1/2 games behind the Nets.”
ESPN Sources: Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers have completed a contract buyout. The Miami Heat are a frontrunner to sign Love, but he plans to talk to the Philadelphia 76ers before making a decision.
It would be a more tricky fit for the Sixers to add Love to their roster, wrote Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice. He noted that Philadelphia already has “a full roster and no clear-cut way to bring him in,” especially after adding Dedmon as a depth piece.
Love’s Production Drops in Cleveland
Love was in the midst of one of the least productive seasons of his career with the Cavaliers, averaging career lows in points (8.5), rebounds (5.8) and minutes per game (20.0). He is also hitting just 35.4% of shots from behind the 3-point arc, which Neubeck wrote would limit his value to the Sixers.
“It has been a down year for Love shooting the basketball, which has meant it has been a down year for Love overall, as his value has increasingly been tied to his ability to make three-point shots,” he wrote.
But he added that Love could provide value to the Sixers in other ways, especially his passing ability and rebounding.
“More importantly for Philadelphia, he remains an excellent rebounder, someone who could help with their issues on the defensive glass and likely create an extra possession or two per game on the offensive boards,” Neubeck wrote. “And Love is plenty comfortable as a volume shooter, which is a trait the Sixers have struggled to find in players around Embiid.”
Love would also bring some key playoff experience, which could be especially important given the inconsistency in the Sixers’ bench behind Embiid.