Boston Celtics: 2 buyout candidates Cs must closely monitor

Buyout target for the Boston Celtics No. 2) Kevin Love

Like Thaddeus Young, the concept of Kevin Love coming to the Boston Celtics has been one that’s been perpetuated by fans for quite some time now.

That said, unlike Young, the forward’s overinflated contract (average per-year salary of $30 million through 2023) has made the thought of a trade or buyout rather difficult to make into a reality.

However, based on recent buzz and speculation, the Cleveland Cavaliers could soon be interested now more than ever in cutting their losses and parting with the former All-Star, even if it means potentially losing money in the process.

Should this wind up happening, he should be viewed as a hot pursuit for Brad Stevens and co.

As we said in the previous slide, the Cs are lacking in legitimate power forward talent.

With the way things currently stand, their only guaranteed options at the position are Tatum (has excelled at the four but is traditionally a three), Grant Williams (stands at just 6-6), and Al Horford (his time in Philadelphia showed he should not be a power forward).

Love could prove to be a valuable commodity for this roster.

Though obviously having lost a step since his All-NBA days, in a backup role the 32-year-old could still prove to be a solid rotational big who can help space the floor and gobble up boards.

This past season, despite playing for the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, Love still put up sound per-game averages of 12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 37 percent shooting from deep.

A 5x All-Star who has seen deep postseason runs on three separate occasions over the last six years including an NBA Championship in 2016, Kevin Love could come in and serve as a solid veteran presence off the pine while also providing some serious upside in a limited role within the frontcourt rotation.