Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 players not likely to return in 2020-21

1. Kevin Love

There are many reasons for the city of Cleveland to embrace Kevin Love. He was an integral member of the team’s lone championship campaign. When James left for the Los Angeles Lakers, Love doubled down on his commitment to the franchise with a contract extension. His time with the franchise will also be inextricably linked to Love’s openness about his mental illness, as he’s become one of the leading advocates in professional sports for mental health wellness.

But Love has also expressed dissatisfaction with the rebuild taking place in Cleveland. The Cavaliers aren’t close to contending, so Love’s unhappiness is only likely to grow as he hits the twilight of his career. It’s time for the Cavs to trade Love – if they can.

That’s a major caveat, as his contract is untenable for most teams to take on. He’s going to make an average of $30.1 million each of the next two seasons, which will take him through his age-33 season, ancient for an NBA player.

Love remains an ideal offensive big man, averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 37.4 percent from three. But he has become a bigger liability on the defensive end, where he’s on pace to contribute a negative defensive box plus/minus for the fourth straight season, per Basketball-Reference.

With his monster contract, the Cavs are likely going to have to make some concessions in a Kevin Love trade. To accelerate and clarify the direction of the rebuild, however, those sacrifices may be worth it this offseason.