Kevin Love’s next stop might end up being a familiar one.
By late August, the NBA calendar usually settles into a quiet stretch where roster moves are rare unless a trade shakes things up. Utah had already made its offseason feel complete after signing Mo Bamba, which made it look all but certain that Love would not be back with the Jazz.
That was the assumption, anyway. Love, now in his late-30s, never looked like a hot commodity this summer. One possible path had been a reunion with LeBron James, but James has been with the Philadelphia 76ers for some time now, and there’s been nothing to suggest Love is heading there too.
Still, he may not be done finding a landing spot.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on "The Hoop Collective" that Cleveland could be in the mix. "The Cavs are looking for a big man, and Kevin Love is out there," Windhorst said. "That's a guy to keep an eye on for Cleveland."
The fit is easy enough to understand. Love spent 2014 to 2023 in Cleveland, won a championship there with James in 2016, and made two All-Star teams in 2016 and 2017. There’s clearly some nostalgia in the idea, but Cleveland also has a practical reason to look his way: frontcourt depth.
Love would also bring veteran leadership to a team trying to chase a title. The breakup between the two sides in 2023 wasn’t exactly smooth, but there’s always the possibility that both sides would be willing to move past that.
At this point in the offseason, Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of alternatives, and that’s part of what makes this worth watching. If Love returns, the reaction might be as simple as: why not?
The Jazz, meanwhile, know this story well. They’ve watched former players reconnect with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota and with Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.
This offseason alone, even more recent Jazz alumni such as Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton have reportedly rejoined forces in Los Angeles. It’s become such a familiar pattern that it almost feels like a running joke.
This version has a different wrinkle, though, because Love played with Mitchell before ever getting to Utah. Now there’s at least a chance he could link back up with Mitchell three years later.
The difference is that Utah is expected to be good this season, so fans won’t be pulling for former Jazz players in the same carefree way they have over the past four years. Even so, Love left a positive impression with the Jazz, and plenty of people would like to see him keep his career going as long as possible.
If that means another stint in Cleveland, so be it. And on the court, it wouldn’t exactly be a move that changes everything.
In Other News...
Jazz Trade Talk Just Drew A Clear Line Around The Core
The Jazzs roster picture has started to sharpen, and the names sitting at the center of it tell you a lot about where the franchise thinks it is headed. Lauri Markkanen remains a major piece after signing a significant contract extension, while Ace Bailey is already being viewed as part of the teams long-term foundation on a rookie deal. Add Darryn Peterson to the mix, and the front offices priorities come into focus: this is not a roster built around cashing in its most important young assets.
Petersons presence on that list is especially telling, because the organization appears to see him as a potential franchise cornerstone rather than a movable piece in the next wave of roster reshuffling. For a team that has spent plenty of time in trade speculation, drawing a clear line around those three players signals a firmer sense of direction, even if the rest of the roster is still subject to the usual churn. The bigger question now is how aggressively Utah plans to build around that core once the rest of the league comes calling. [Read more 🡒]