Miami Heat finalize moves with Victor Oladipo, Kevin Love
LAS VEGAS — With the NBA’s offseason personnel moratorium ending at noon Thursday, it basically set up as the league’s version of national signing day.
So Max Strus finalized his four-year, $63 million free-agency agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Gabe Vincent his three-year, $33 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, as both moved on from the Miami Heat.
Both of those agreements were reached at last week’s opening of the free-agency negotiation period.
For the Heat, though, there was limited pen to paper Thursday, as the team continued to play the waiting game on a potential trade for disgruntled Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
Because the Heat’s two free-agency additions signed for the league minimum, the Heat were able to sign Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant during the moratorium.
That left Kevin Love’s two-year, $7.7 million agreement as the lone Heat free-agency contract in the league’s transaction queue, formally processed by midday Thursday. The contract with Love, 34, includes a player option for the second season.
Beyond Strus, Vincent and Love, Cody Zeller, the Heat’s only other veteran on the free-agent market, signed a one-year minimum deal with New Orleans Pelicans.
In a salary dump to ease the Heat’s position against the luxury tax, the Heat formally announced Thursday the trade of sidelined guard Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the Heat attaching second-round picks in 2029 and ’30 in order to offload the $9.5 million due Oladipo, who is expected to miss several months after a knee injury in the first round of the playoffs.
The move was similar to deals in recent years when the Heat attached second-round picks to move off of contracts of Meyers Leonard and Dewayne Dedmon, among others.
While the deal with the Thunder generated a Heat trade exception at the value of Oladipo’s contract, it is doubtful it is utilized because of the Heat’s position against the tax.
With the official announcements of the Oladipo and Strus moves, with Strus moving to the Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade transaction, it means the Heat no longer have the option of including those contracts in a multi-team trade for Lillard.
As for Lillard, his representation continues to inform potential trade suitors that he only is interested in moving on to the Heat, as had been previously relayed to the Sun Sentinel.
Love, a 2016 NBA champion with the Cavaliers and five-time All-Star, split last season between the Heat and Cleveland, appearing in 62 games, including 20 starts, averaging 8.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 20 minutes per game. Love’s 33 charges taken were second most in the NBA, with his 16 with the Heat tying for the team lead.
A 15-year veteran, Love has career averages of 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, in an average of 30.1 minutes per game. He has shot at least 36% on 3-pointers in 11 seasons and is just one of four players in NBA history to shoot at least 35% on 3-pointers over his career and average at least 10 rebounds.
