NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat willing to take on Kevin Love's contract to land Collin Sexton from Cleveland Cavaliers
The Miami Heat are reportedly interested in acquiring Kevin Love, according to the latest NBA trade rumors, but only as a means to get Collin Sexton from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Love has been part of several trade rumors dating back to at least two years ago when the Cleveland Cavaliers started rebuilding post-LeBron James.
More often than not, Kevin Love has been the centerpiece of trade talks that include his name. However, in a report from Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports, the Miami Heat are more interested in Love’s teammate, Collin Sexton:
“Odds are against him (Kevin Love) getting bought out,” Skolnick said. “The Heat like Love. They would probably take him back in the right deal for Sexton. He’s not the coveted asset. Sexton is.”
It’s not surprising that the Miami Heat are interested in Collin Sexton. They may or may not re-sign 6-foot-2 Kendrick Nunn this summer and had a revolving door on their point-guard situation during the regular season. Sexton can provide stability at the 1 position and could be the Heat’s point guard for the future.
During the 2020-21 season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per outing in 60 games for the Cavaliers. He can space the floor (37.1% from three) and score from the painted area using a quick first step. The Miami Heat would absolutely love to pair him with Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler, who will have more wide-open shots if Sexton goes to South Beach.
Kevin Love’s fit with the Miami Heat
Kevin Love’s talent is unquestionable. The 6-foot-8 forward was built for the new NBA, where big men are expected to space the floor with three-point shooting.
If they can get Sexton, the Miami Heat will have two creators in the starting lineup, with Butler being one of them.
Kevin Love and Duncan will have a field day getting open looks from the outside, while Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo can post up closer to the basket.
During the 2020-21 season, Kevin Love put up career-lows of 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in only 24.9 minutes per contest and appeared in just 25 games. The five-time All-Star has been hampered by injuries in the past few years and hasn’t played more than 70 games since the 2015-16 season for the Cavaliers.
He has $60.2 million owed to him for the next two seasons, which the Miami Heat will have to absorb if they strike a deal with the Cavs.
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