Cleveland Cavaliers: Potential amnesty clause would end Kevin Love’s tenure

In the event that the NBA implements an amnesty clause, Kevin Love’s tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers would likely come to an end.

It seems the Cleveland Cavaliers almost instantly regretted offering Kevin Love his five-year contract extension. What felt like a reasonable decision to keep the franchise competitive after LeBron James’ decision 2.0 quickly turned into an immovable contract that has trapped Love on a lottery team for the foreseeable future.

Neither side can be fully blamed for the situation they are in. Love expected the Cavaliers to remain in the playoff hunt while the front office was hoping to keep their arena full by re-signing one of their biggest fan favorites. Nobody in the organization was prepared to finish as a bottom-two team in the Eastern Conference for consecutive years.

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Now, the Cavaliers are looking for a way to move off Love’s massive contract. Sadly, there isn’t much of a market for a 31-year-old who hasn’t been an All-Star in over two years. The only way the Cavs would have been able to move Love was if they accepted another bad contract in return.

The Cavaliers saving grace might come in the form of a potential amnesty clause (ESPN+ subscription required for more details) that the NBA might consider after all of the drastic changes that have been made to the current season. Each team in the league will benefit from the financial freedom that the amnesty clause can bring. Especially considering the odd circumstance the sports world is currently in.

Basically, an amnesty clause would allow each team to absolve one contract on their payroll. The player they choose is then made available to the other 29 teams, where the highest bidder will acquire that player. The winning bid is then subtracted from the player’s current contract and the original team can move forward by cutting their losses.

So, for example, if the Cavaliers decided to amnesty Love and the remaining $90 million of his contract, other teams would then be able to bid for the right to sign Love. If the winning bid is for $15 million a year, the Cavaliers would only owe Love a total of $45 million across the next three seasons.

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The last time the league implemented this clause was 2011 when the season was cut to 66 games due to a lockout between the players and owners. Each team was given until the 2015-16 season to use their amnesty. The Cavaliers used their amnesty in 2011 to waive Baron Davis.

This time around, the Cavaliers would be shedding the remainder of Love’s $120 million dollar contract to usher in the next generation of Cavs basketball. Love is one of the last remaining members of the 2016 championship team but might be standing in the way of a successful rebuild.

Love hasn’t exactly embraced his role as a veteran leader. He clashed repeatedly with Collin Sexton this season and showed visible frustration in some of the Cavaliers’ lowest points this season.

We can’t blame Love for his disinterest in acting as a mentor for the Cavs young core. He is approaching his mid-30s, meaning his ability to compete at a high level is going to deteriorate rapidly. He doesn’t have much time to waste on a bottom-feeder team like the Cavs if he truly wants to win another championship before it’s all said and done.

Using the amnesty clause to waive Love would not only help him find a more suitable home but it would grant the Cavaliers additional freedom to build their young core. Transitioning into a new era is going to come with difficult decisions but parting ways with Love is one that has been lingering for too long.