The Cleveland Cavaliers made Kevin Love look like a genius for getting bought out

Kevin Love looks like a genius for how he handled his Cleveland Cavaliers buyout.

Kevin Love is a member of the Miami Heat, and he did it in the most improbable way possible, by somehow out-earning his current contract. The Cavs decided that Love wasn’t what they needed anymore, for better or worse, and opted to move on from him. Love wasn’t happy with that decision and asked for his release.

The Cavs granted his request and bought him out of his remaining $8.5 million. To curry favor and get his release faster, Love gave back $1.5 million; meaning the Cavs gave him $7 million to go play elsewhere. Usually, when that happens, a player with Love’s experience will sign a veteran’s minimum and start playing.

For example, Westbrook is making the league minimum for veterans (prorated a t $800k). A team can sign as many veterans to a veteran minimum as they want, as long as they have a roster spot, regardless if it puts them over the cap. Hence why Westbrook is going to the Clippers.

So many, myself included, expected Love to get the same deal.  Except he didn’t. Instead, Love signed with the Heat for $3.5 million. That means that Love will make an extra $2 million this year than he would have had he stayed in Cleveland.

Kevin Love has the chance to make the Cleveland Cavaliers look foolish

The Cavs not only gave Love most of his contract but allowed him to go to the one team that could be a real issue for them if they meet in the first round. Jimmy Butler is still the best wing player in the NBA. He’s currently 6th in box plus-minus, with +7.4. No other shooting guard or small forward is anywhere close.

Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have proven to be the faces of the franchise once Butler slows, and they have a host of guards and forwards who can shoot. Their issue has been three-point shooting and a better rebounding off the bench. Love satisfies both of those issues. Fellow recent signing Cody Zeller will also help with the rebounding, and bench defense.

To say that Love went to the perfect place for him would be an understatement. Assuming the Heat can stay healthy, the Cavs could run into them in round one, and that could be a bad matchup for the Cavaliers. Especially if the bench can’t muster better offensive outings.