On Sunday, June 30, the Miami Heat made their first move in free agency by adding a former NBA champion to their bench.
Kevin Love, a big guy, opted out of his contract’s final year over the weekend, and Miami re-signed him to a short-term deal.
On June 30, the first day of free agency, Shams Charania claimed, “Free agent F/C Kevin Love is finalizing a two-year, $8 million-plus deal to return to the Miami Heat, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.”
The financial conditions of Love’s new agreement are identical to those of his previous one. Miami owed Love $4.99 million for the 2024–25 season, which is marginally less than the $4.99 million he will receive under his current contract. The contract’s overall value is around $3 million greater because the soon-to-be 36-year-old will receive an additional year and $4 million the following season.
According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Love’s new contract has no options, so neither the team nor Love may decide to end it one year early.
According to Basketball Reference, Love averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 16.8 minutes a night during the previous season, making a significant contribution to the Heat’s rotation. He made 55 appearances during the Miami regular season, making 34.4% of his 3-point tries on 4.4 attempts per game.
When Love and former Heat player LeBron James were playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the 6-foot-8, 251-pound Love shared a championship. Over the course of his 16-year professional career, Love has earned positions on two All-NBA Teams (both as second-team picks in 2012 and 2014) and appearances to five All-Star Games.
After his stint in Cleveland came to an end, Love signed with the Heat for the 2022–2023 season. In 21 games that season, he scored 7.7 points and pulled down 5.7 rebounds for Miami. He was a member of a team that advanced as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference to the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
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