Latest on Kevin Love

While Kevin Love would like to play for a contender during his next stop, he seems to be prioritizing playing time — something he was no longer receiving with the Cavaliers.

Love and the Cavs are working on a contract buyout, and he has already been linked to the Heat, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Suns (full post). There are a few others that may be in there as well, as broken down by Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype.

“Nearly every team with playoff aspirations will be after (Love) but he will likely prioritize playing time after being taken out of Cleveland’s rotation,” Gozlan wrote. “That could eliminate teams like the Celtics, Sixers, Lakers, Nuggets, Suns, Warriors, and Clippers.

“Miami is reportedly a frontrunner for Love and may have the clearest path to consistent playing time for him with their lack of frontcourt depth. The Bucks have two open roster spots and could offer Love immediate playing time, but that could diminish once Bobby Portis returns from injury. The same goes with Dallas, who could use Love now but could be minimized once Maxi Kleber returns.”

• The Cavs could try to steer Love to the Western Conference during buyout negotiations, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The last thing the Cavs would want is Love helping a potential Eastern Conference playoff opponent, such as the Heat.
• Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff removed Love from the rotation after seeing how he was struggling to defend when getting switched onto guards in pick-and-roll situations, per Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com.
• The Cavs are 9-3 in the 12 games Love has been benched. That includes a seven-game winning streak before losing a road game vs. the 76ers right before the All-Star Break. In that stretch of 12 games, the Cavs have the NBA’s top defense. So given that Love wasn’t playing, they may have been waiting for him to ask for a buyout.
• I have more on Love and the looming buyout in my latest Dribbles right here.