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After over two seasons with the Miami Heat, Kevin Love is leaving South Beach following a trade to the Utah Jazz on Monday.
In a three-team swap that involved the Los Angeles Clippers and the Jazz, Love was sent by Miami to Salt Lake City along with Kyle Anderson while getting Norman Powell from LA. The Clippers also sent a second-round pick in 2027 to the Jazz.
Powell was the centerpiece of the trade, with Love merely thrown into the mix to balance out the financial side of things. The five-time NBA All-Star has seen it all in the league, and he showed familiarity with what his role was in the trade with a witty claim that he posted on social media.
“Never thought I’d be a math problem,” the 36-year-old big man shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Welcome to the NBA.”
The Jazz perhaps never really had the desire to trade for Love and include him in their future, short or long term. But Love was a crucial component the Heat used to make the trade work. The former NBA rebounding champion still has a year left on his current contract, one that will pay him $4.15 million in the 2025-26 NBA season. It is fair to assume that Utah will release Love sooner than later, which would open up a chance for him to sign with another squad.
Love's best days are very much in the past now. He has not averaged more than nine points per game since the 2022-23 campaign. His last All-Star season was in 2017-18 when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season, he put up just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per contest with the Heat.
Viewed as among the best players in the league during his prime, Love has won an NBA title in 2016 with the Cavs.
Whichever team Love plays in the 2025-26 season, he can be expected to provide some insurance in the frontcourt and veteran leadership in the locker room, probably for a team that gives him a better shot at winning one more NBA title before he decides to hang up his sneakers.
