Report: Kevin Love opts out of deal with Cavs, will test free agency

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Kevin Love has reportedly opted out of the final year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to ESPN's Marc Stein, setting himself up for his first taste of unrestricted free agency.

The move should come as no surprise, with Cavs general manager David Griffin admitting last week he expected Love and LeBron James to opt out of their deals given the current salary-cap environment.

Love held a player option for next season worth more than $16.7 million, but even if he chooses to remain in Cleveland, opting out is the more lucrative way to go. Love can either secure himself a guaranteed long-term contract this summer or sign a short-term (one- or two-year) maximum-level deal worth more than his player option, which would also allow him to re-test free agency when the salary cap explodes with added TV revenues in 2016 and 2017.

Love has been steadfast in his desire to remain a Cavalier recently, but his individual production suffered as the team's third option behind James and Kyrie Irving in his first year post-Minnesota, and his relationship with James was a season-long subject of scrutiny.

In addition, the Cavs advanced to the NBA Finals despite the three-time All-Star's season-ending shoulder injury suffered at the end of the first round.

The team's success without Love and a questionable relationship between the two could both be reasons why James won't be laying it on thick as Love makes his decision.

Love, a two-time All-NBA selection, spent six years in Minnesota without a playoff appearance to show for it, moving to Cleveland last July in a blockbuster trade that sent No. 1 overall pick - and eventual Rookie of the Year - Andrew Wiggins to the Timberwolves.

While his contributions to the Cavs' playoff run didn't last long, Love was a key component of the team's first trip to the postseason in five years, averaging 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on a True Shooting Percentage of 56.2 during the regular season.

Those numbers pale in comparison to Love's prodigious production as the clear-cut No. 1 option in Minnesota, but given his third-option status behind James and All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving - in addition to Love being somewhat misused within David Blatt's offense - they're impressive nonetheless.

Whether it's the Cavs or another suitor - the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are said to be readying pitches - Love, who signed a four-year extension worth more than $60 million in 2012, will have no problem once again commanding a maximum-level salary.