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Cleveland Cavaliers: 25 Best Players To Play For The Cavaliers

By Phil Watson

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of a painting outside of Quicken Loans Arena prior to game six of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of a painting outside of Quicken Loans Arena prior to game six of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) during the fourth quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) during the fourth quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

156. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, Aug. 23, 2014.. PF. 2014-16. Kevin Love. 6. player

Once LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the front office switched gears and started trying to build a contending roster around him.

One of the biggest pieces was acquiring All-Star power forward Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team deal in August 2014.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

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Love’s individual numbers have plummeted since the trade, but Cleveland has reached back-to-back NBA Finals and won the franchise’s first championship.

He did not play in a six-game loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals, having been lost for the season to a shoulder injury earlier in the playoffs.

In 2015-16, Love appeared in 77 games and averaged 16.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.5 minutes per game on .419/.360/.822 shooting.

He was healthy for the 2016 NBA Finals rematch with the Warriors, putting up 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game.

He played in six games–missing Game 3 with a concussion and coming off the bench in Game 4–and shot .362/5-for-19/12-for-17 in the seven-game victory.

In two seasons with Cleveland, Love has averaged 16.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.6 minutes per game, shooting .426/.363/.813.

He was an All-American in his lone season at UCLA, helping the Bruins to the Final Four while averaging 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

The Memphis Grizzlies took Love with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and swapped him to the Timberwolves on draft night.

He was a second team All-Rookie selection in 2008-09 and got better from there. He was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2010-11, a two-time All-NBA pick and a three-time All-Star for Minnesota, leading the NBA in rebounding in 2010-11.

Love finished fourth in scoring twice with the Wolves, to go with second- and third-place finishes in the rebounding race.

He re-signed with Cleveland as a free agent in July 2015, agreeing to a five-year, $113 million deal that includes a player option for the last season in 2019-20.

Love is 21st in NBA history with an average of 11.5 rebounds per game.

Next: No. 1 Overall Pick Chopped Down By Bad Back

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