SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kevin Love has opted to sign with the Miami Heat for the remainder of the season once he clears the waivers, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday.
And a second person said the Heat are also finalizing plans to add another big man to free agent center Cody Zeller, with that deal to be done before the team meets in Miami to begin practice after the break. stars. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no contract had been signed.
Love’s decision was first reported by ESPN.
The 6-foot-9 forward and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to buyout terms on Saturday, ending his nine-year run with the team he helped win the 2016 NBA championship.
Over 15 NBA seasons with Cleveland and Minnesota, Love averaged 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds. He’s averaged career lows of 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 20 minutes per game in 41 games, almost all of them as a reserve, this season for Cleveland and hasn’t played in the last 12 games. of the team before the all-star break.
This sparked takeover talks, and once they were completed, Love chose Miami.
“It would give us another veteran, another guy who made it through the playoffs, another guy who knows what it takes to win and get to where we want to go,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said.
Love is a five-time NBA All-Star, Olympic champion and FIBA World Cup champion as part of USA Basketball, and his combination of size and 3-point shooting ability seems to fit perfectly into the Heat system. .
Miami will become Zeller’s third NBA city. He averaged 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 494 games with Charlotte and Portland. The 6-foot-11 center was the fourth pick in the 2013 draft.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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