Apr 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Kevin Love (42) watches his shot against Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) in the fourth quarter during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports Kevin Love’s contract with the Miami Heat was just part of the math problem to facilitate the first trade of the NBA’s new league year.
And he wasn’t pumped about that.
On Monday morning, the Heat traded Love and Kyle Anderson to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that landed Norman Powell in Miami and John Collins with the Los Angeles Clippers.
It was certainly a “welcome to the NBA” moment for Love, who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a much-anticipated blockbuster before LeBron James suited up for his hometown team again in 2014. He joined the Heat after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Cavs in 2023. This was probably the most surprising transaction of his 17-year career.
The rebuilding Jazz are likely to buy out the 36-year-old Love, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Love entering free agency certainly won’t send shockwaves through the NBA the way it would have a decade ago, but he still wants to play in 2025–26. He appeared in just 23 games last season, averaging five points and four rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game.
If Jonas Valanciunas — who is playing professional basketball in Greece to avoid suiting up for the Denver Nuggets — continues to play hardball, perhaps Love could be a backup to Nikola Jokic.
There’s also a chance that Love could return to the Cavaliers. The Cavs have been the center of speculation because of some cryptic social media activity from LeBron James, who opted into his contract but seems hesitant to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are focused on building around Luka Doncic.
The Cavs have a successful young core that has had big-time issues getting out of the Eastern Conference semifinals. If they were to trade part of that core to the Lakers for James, they could use Love as a depth piece off the bench. He certainly has chemistry with James, as they won an NBA championship for Cleveland together in 2016.
As upsetting as it might sound, this could also be the end of the road for Love in the NBA. It all depends on whether a team finds a need for a washed-up double-double machine in a super limited role. He had really blossomed into a champion for men’s mental health during his time in the NBA and evolved as a leader with the Heat over the last few seasons.
