MIAMI — As expected, a day after opting out of the final year on his previous contract, Kevin Love committed Sunday to a return to the Miami Heat at the start of NBA free agency.
No sooner had the league-wide negotiation period opened at 6 p.m. Sunday, then Love agreed to a two-year contract at around $8 million, after initially bypassing his $4 million option for next season. Love’s new Heat contract, per an NBA source to the Sun Sentinel, does not include an option year.
There had been the possibility of Love, 35, helping to ease the Heat’s crunch against the NBA luxury tax. Instead, he moved to an additional year of security under contract to a team he has helped to the playoffs the past two seasons, mostly as a backup center.
A five-time All-Star as well as an NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Love averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season, shooting .344 on 3-pointers. With the retirement of Udonis Haslem at the close of the 2022-23 season, Love last season took on the role of veteran mentor in the locker room.
With the NBA adding an element of “pre-agency” for the first time this year, with teams allowed to reach agreements with their own free agents ahead of Sunday’s league-wide takeoff point, several Heat opponents in the Eastern Conference already had gotten a jump on the process.
That included Pascal Siakam re-signing with the Indiana Pacers, OG Anunoby with the New York Knicks, Immanuel Quickley with the Toronto Raptors and Nic Claxton with the Brooklyn Nets.
While teams were allowed to begin negotiating with outside free agents and reach agreements starting on Sunday, such deals cannot be finalized until 12:01 p.m. Eastern on July 6, at the close of the NBA’s offseason signing moratorium.
There are exceptions to the moratorium, including the Heat’s ability to sign first-round pick Kel’el Ware as soon as Monday. Teams also can finalize agreements with players at the league minimum salary starting Monday.
Free agents for the Heat at the opening of Sunday’s window were Love, Caleb Martin, Thomas Bryant, Haywood Highsmith, Delon Wright, Patty Mills, Jamal Cain, Alondes Williams and Cole Swider.
Locked into contracts for the Heat next season are Love, Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, Orlando Robinson and draft picks Ware and Pelle Larsson.
Teams are limited to 15 players under standard contract during the regular season, plus three more players on two-way contracts that pay half the standard-contract minimum and do not count against the salary cap.
Of those currently under contract, only Orlando Robinson does not hold a fully guaranteed contract for next season.
Teams can carry up to 20 players during the offseason, with the Heat having reached agreements for summer league with three undrafted players: Florida guard Zyon Pullin, Arizona forward Keshad Johnson and Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens. The Heat also have extended a summer invitation to guard Bryson Warren, who last season was with the Heat G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The Heat open summer-league training camp this week in San Francisco, where they will play three summer-league games at the California Classic, before moving on to the larger NBA Summer League in Las Vegas starting July 13.
Heat depth chart at moment
Center: Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, Orlando Robinson.
Power forward: Nikola Jovic, Kel’el Ware
Small forward: Jimmy Butler, Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Shooting guard: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Pelle Larsson.
Point guard: Terry Rozier.