The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without some key players next season if the team opts to try to bring back LeBron James. James, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, is rumored to be on his way out of the Hollywood Hills this offseason. There's a belief that he wants to play at least one more season and chase a title while doing so. The best fit for him to do just that may be in his old stomping ground with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
To get him, however, James will likely need to take a paycut or arrive via a sign-and-trade with the Lakers. The Cavs don't have the cap space to pay him really anything more than a mid-level exception. So it's likely he'll either take a massive pay cut or opt to get traded to Cleveland. Either way, it seems unlikely that if James is on deck to return home, key expiring contracts get picked up.
Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr., and Thomas Bryant are all likely playing their last season in Cleveland if James comes in, assuming none take a massive pay cut to return. Considering they're all bigs, and the Cavs are in desperate need of bigs, the team may want to look at a cheaper, more familiar answer to help replace some of that potentially departing size.
In fact, there's one that's about to hit the open-market. A guy who has proven to be a reliable bench-scorer and a seasoned presence not afraid to body an opposing player. Plus, he's a former Cavaliers legend. Of course, we're talking about Kevin Love.
Love has played some solid minutes for the Utah Jazz this season. In 17 minutes a night, he's shooting just under 40% from the floor (39.6%), and 35.9% from three. He's also dropping 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. He's not what he used to be, far from it, but he can still catch a kickout and nail a three from the corner. He's also still a physical rebounder, one who isn't afraid to tussle with someone younger and bigger. Love could serve as a strong 9th or 10th body off the bench, and could help spell both Allen and Mobley for a few minutes at a time. All without losing out on any physicality.
Love isn't going to be as good a defender. He's always been a bit flat-footed, and now at 37, he isn't exactly the most nimble guy out there. Still, he can body anyone he plays across from, and if his shot is falling, he'll be a threat. His physicality and shot aren't the only reasons why he'd be a good bench player for the Cavs; he also has incredible court vision for a big man. His passing has always been one of the more underrated aspects of his game, and he can bring a wrinkle to a Cavs team that currently lacks a decent passing big.
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If the Cavs move on from Thomas, Nance, and/or Wade, while also likely trading Max Strus in the offseason, the Cavs will need another big man and another three-point shooter. Love can do both of those things. Not to such a huge degree anymore, but enough that you can probably replace the offensive output of Nance, Thomas, and Wade with just Love. Strus is a better shooter than Love at this point, but with Strus having missed the majority of the 2025-2026 season by this point, there's an argument to be made that Love, right now, is an upgrade over Strus, right now.
It would be a wild scene, seeing a starting five of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, James, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, with a bench that includes Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, Dennis Schroeder, Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Keon Ellis, and Love. Obviously, a player at the stage of the game that Love is at isn't the guy who would put the Cavs over the top, but he's showing he's still good enough to warrant minutes on a good team. Plus, how wild would it be if James and Love reunite to help bring the Cavs one more NBA Championship? It's a Hollywood movie come to life.
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