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Love declined his $4.03 million player option for the 2024-25 season Saturday and will become an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Though Love will hit the open market, he and the Heat are optimistic about negotiating a new deal in the opening days of free agency. The veteran big man has carved out a nice role off the bench in Miami, where he has been productive in relatively short-minute stints. Overall, Love averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 triples across 16.8 minutes in 55 appearances in 2023-24. If Love does in fact re-sign with Miami, he'll face a new challenger for the top backup role behind starting center Bam Adebayo, as the Heat used its first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Indiana big man Kel'el Ware.
