The Cavaliers and five-time All-Star forward Kevin Love have agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. The deal goes in effect for the 2019-20 season, so Love is now set with a commitment of roughly $144 million over five years.
Love had two years remaining on his current deal but opted out of the second year, per ESPN. He’ll earn $24.1 million for the upcoming season, then the new $120 million extension will kick in starting for 2019-20.
The deal keeps Love in Cleveland for the long haul even after the team lost LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the past two years. The 29-year-old now represents the cornerstone of a roster that also includes George Hill, J.R. Smith, Rodney Hood and first-round pick Collin Sexton.
Love has missed 45 games over the past two seasons due to a variety of injuries, but remains an efficient scorer and strong rebounder when he’s on the court. He averaged 17.6 points on 46 percent shooting and 9.3 rebounds last season while playing a season-low 28 minutes per game.
If he’s healthy enough, a bigger role will likely be waiting now that James isn’t shouldering the load. Love took just 12.4 shots per game last season, his lowest average since 2009-10. With more shots to go around, there’s a good chance he pushes toward 20 points per game for the first time since leaving Minnesota in 2014.
