--- description: The team will reportedly try to resign the forward, though they may not keep him. title: Kevin Love Opts Out of Contract With Cavaliers image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc80a1a985c644070/69885832cd68487c2b0a0835/kevin-love.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Basketball](/tag/basketball/) ## Basketball Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Kevin Love Opts Out of Contract With Cavaliers  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jun 24, 2015 7:17 PM CUT  In this April 23, 2105, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) looks to pass during the first quarter of a first-round NBA playoff basketball game in Boston. In this April 23, 2105, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) looks to pass during the first quarter of a first-round NBA playoff basketball game in Boston.Charles Krupa—AP  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jun 24, 2015 7:17 PM CUT Following the Cavaliers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, three-time All-Star Kevin Love is [opting out](http://espn.go.com/nba/story/%5F/id/13142511/kevin-love-opts-contract-cleveland-cavaliers-sources "undefined") of his contract with Cleveland. ESPN reports the Cavaliers will try to resign the forward, who sat out of the majority of the playoffs after suffering a shoulder injury in the first round. It’s unclear whether the team would keep Love or engineer a sign-and-trade for him. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers may also attempt to sign Love. Love joins a host of other high-profile free agents this summer, including Marc Gasol, Kawhai Leonard, LeMarcus Aldridge and Jimmy Butler. If he signs a long-term contract, either with the Cavaliers or another team, he’ll miss out on the salary cap raise of at least 30% expected to come in the summer of 2016. LeBron James also has the option to become a free agent this year, but it’s unlikely he will do so until next year, when he can take advantage of the raised salary cap. It’s doubtful that James will actually leave Cleveland—even if he does eventually opt out—after his triumphant return last summer, during which he promised the city a championship. \[[_ESPN_](http://espn.go.com/nba/story/%5F/id/13142511/kevin-love-opts-contract-cleveland-cavaliers-sources "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/"},"headline":"Kevin Love Opts Out of Contract With Cavaliers","datePublished":"2015-06-24T19:17:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:29:57.676Z","description":"The team will reportedly try to resign the forward, though they may not keep him","url":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/","keywords":["Basketball","NBA","Cleveland Cavaliers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc80a1a985c644070/69885832cd68487c2b0a0835/kevin-love.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc80a1a985c644070/69885832cd68487c2b0a0835/kevin-love.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kevin Love","caption":"Kevin Love","creditText":"Charles Krupa—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/basketball/","name":"Basketball"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/","name":"Kevin Love Opts Out of Contract With Cavaliers"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: NBA Stars Protest The Eric Garner Decision","description":"Watch today's Know Right Now to catch up on all the latest stories","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/NII0WdMq/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-12-10T16:44:42.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NII0WdMq.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3934415/kevin-love-contract-cavaliers/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```