Kevin Love Undergoes Surgery, Out At Least Six Weeks

Kevin Love, who has missed the last four games with a toe injury, underwent surgery on Friday to address “continued left foot symptoms,” the Cavaliers announced today in a press release.

According to the team, Love will now enter an extended period of treatment and rehabilitation for the injury. The Cavaliers says they’ll provide an update on Love’s return to basketball activity in about six weeks.

Word first broke earlier in the week that Love might miss over a month due to his nagging foot issues. The veteran forward confirmed on Tuesday that he’d be sidelined for a little while, but expressed hope that he’d be back on the court within two or three weeks. Based on the wording of the Cavs’ update today, it sounds like Love will miss a minimum of six weeks and may not be ready to return at that point.

Love, 30, was expected to take on the lead role in Cleveland this season with LeBron James no longer on the club. In his first four games, he struggled with his shot (323/.292/.818), but his 19.0 PPG and 13.5 RPG would have been his best marks since he joined the Cavs. With Love on the shelf, Sam Dekker has entered the starting lineup and seen a significant increase in his playing time.

If Love gets healthy sometime in the new year, he could emerge as a trade candidate before February’s deadline, despite signing a long-term extension with the Cavs earlier this year. He’ll become trade-eligible on January 24, with the deadline falling on February 7. Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith are among the other Cleveland veterans viewed as trade candidates.

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