Report: Cavaliers Players Were "Shocked" By Kevin Love Buyout

Donovan Mitchell didn't see it coming. Neither did his teammates. Longtime Cleveland Cavalier power forward Kevin Love arranged for his buyout this past week and has already signed on with one of their chief competitors in the East.

Mitchell couldn't believe it.

I was shocked. I didn’t know that was in the works. I didn’t know that it would be my last game seeing him. I grew up watching Kevin Love and I’m thankful because he is a guy that allowed me to come in and ask him a thousand questions, helped me be an integral part of this team and helped with this group.

Love had been a "franchise pillar" for nine seasons, as noted in the report by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. But after 12 straight DNP-CDs, it was obvious Love was out of the Cavs' rotation this season, and he wanted a chance to contribute to a contending team—somewhere.

“I don’t think any of us take it personally,” Mitchell said. “I think his role in the past 10 or 11 games wasn’t what he wanted and as players we understand that. If that was his decision, then that’s fine. No love lost. I don’t hate him. When we’re on the court (against him) I hate him. But at the end of the day, that’s a guy I ultimately respect. He sees value in the way he can play, and he wasn’t getting an opportunity here. I think that’s ultimately the best decision for him as a player and you want to respect that."

Cavs center Jarrett Allen had a more humorous way of expressing his shock:

Jarrett Allen says he didn’t know Kevin Love wanted a buyout

“I was told he was going for milk and cigarettes and he just never came back.”

(Via @ChrisFedor ) pic.twitter.com/keRv3dDXdk
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 23, 2023