Report: Kevin Love finalizing two-year, $8 million deal to return to the Miami Heat

Kevin Love will reportedly be staying put for his 17th and 18th seasons in the NBA.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Love and the Miami Heat are finalizing a two-year contract worth $8 million or so for him to remain in South Beach.

This came together after Love declined his $4 million player option on Saturday.

“ESPN Sources: Miami Heat F/C Kevin Love is declining his $4M player option, but both sides are enthusiastic about negotiating a new deal in the opening days of free agency,” Adrian Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter.

Love has spent the last season and a half with Miami after a trade from Cleveland. He spent around eight seasons with the Cavaliers after starting his professional career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Over that decade and a half-plus in the association, Love has averaged 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. He was a franchise cornerstone with Minnesota before being part of a trio alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in The Land.

That resumé includes being a five-time All Star, a two-time All-NBA Selection, and an NBA Champion with the Cavs in 2016. He was also an All-Rookie Selection, the league’s Most Improved Player, and a rebounding leader while with the Wolves.

During his 76 appearances with the Heat, Love has posted 8.5 points and six rebounds. He played a part in them making the NBA Finals through his short time there to begin with in ’22-’23.

Love went pro after one season in college at UCLA, which he notably spent with Russell Westbrook. In leading the Bruins to winning the Pac-10 and making the Final Four, he put up 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. That made him an all-league, all-rookie, and Consensus All-American Selection as a freshman. It also earned him the spot as the fifth overall pick by Minnesota in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Love has transitioned into being a respected veteran at this point of his career, especially within an esteemed organization like the Heat. They’ll now be bringing him back to Miami to spend two more of his final seasons in the league there.

Report: Russell Westbrook returning to the Los Angeles Clippers

Russell Westbrook isn’t going anywhere next season.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Clippers have picked up his team option for next season.

“ESPN Sources: Nine-time All-Star G Russell Westbrook is picking up his $4 million option and returning to the Los Angeles Clippers,” Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter.

The 35 year-old has been in Los Angeles since 2021 when he played for the Lakers. He spent this past season with the Clippers and will remain in town. The Lakers initially traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in February of 2023. The team and Westbrook then reached a buyout agreement.

Westbrook, a former star at UCLA, is nine-time NBA All-Star and was the 2017 NBA MVP. He has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Washington Wizards in his career along with the Lakers and Clippers.