The Cleveland Cavaliers are making the right call to not buyout Kevin Love

The Cleveland Cavaliers have opted to not buy out Kevin Love after all.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have opted to not buy out Kevin Love after all. It’s been a week of highs and lows for the potential NBA Hall of Famer. First, he lost his spot in the rotation due to a combination of poor play, injuries, and other players deserving more time. Then there were rumors that Love may be traded at the deadline.

Love and Cedi Osman were two names that were popping up a lot, but due to Osman and Isaac Okoro’s improved play, alongside Dean Wade’s return, the Cavs rightfully decided to stick with the plan as is. That also meant not trading Caris LeVert, which isn’t a great thing.

The Cavs then were considered a candidate by many to give Love a buyout after the fact, as he may want to go help a contender. Teams like the Portland Trailblazers were considered a landing spot or anywhere that landed Russell Westbrook, his college teammate may also make for a nice landing spot.

But Team President Koby Altman shot down that rumor over the week and the plan is to stick with Love as a bench player until he’s needed to step up. This may also still see him get an extension in the offseason to finish his career with the Cavs.

Keeping Kevin Love was the right call

There isn’t anyone in the NBA that you could get by trading Kevin Love. No one is going to send back a Pascal Siakam or Gordon Hayward type for Love alone, so there’s no reason to trade him. His contract is coming off the books soon and once he gets his injuries under control, he should be back to his 2021-2022 self sooner rather than later.

Love can still help this team, especially in the playoffs, where shooting will be at a premium. Dean Wade is a much better defender, maybe the most versatile defender on the team, and Osman is a heck of a lot more dynamic as a scorer so both make sense heading into the playoffs. But what about LeVert? What if Okoro struggles? What if the Cavs need more offense out of Wade or better rebounding from Osman?

Love will have another shot at the rotation and I think he knows that, which is why he’s staying put. Having a guy with Love’s skills is never a bad option.