The Utah Jazz opted to keep Kevin Love because why not? He’s not getting paid much, but they’re not going anywhere this season, and he wouldn’t have had any interested suitors, so what could possibly hurt? After his preseason debut with the Jazz, it’s become clear that even if they don’t plan to part with him, they still hope to trade him.
Love played some legitimate minutes for the Jazz in their preseason debut against the Rockets, and he didn’t just take up space (unlike some people). In just over twenty minutes he scored twelve points and six rebounds, not too bad numbers for someone who is considered past his prime.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischera potential Love trade could be on the horizon as many believed the team was using Love to pitch him to interested suitors.
If there’s any trade situation to watch in Utah right now, it’s the future of veteran forward Kevin Love. The Jazz awarded the 37-year-old a healthy 20 minutes of playing time in Wednesday’s exhibition loss to Houston. As with the Knicks starting Pacome Dadiet in their first exhibition game of the new season in Abu Dhabi, Love’s playing time brought several rivals leading teams to wonder if the Jazz were pitching him to prospects even before the regular season. begins,” Fischer wrote.
Showing Love that there is still some juice left in the tank could be enough to convince a contender to add depth to its frontcourt. It’s not like the Jazz really need someone like him, so if they can find someone who wants him, it’s hard to see why they wouldn’t pull the trigger.
Love’s cheap deal makes him easy to trade
Love is owed $4.15 million this season. Even if he is no longer the player he once was, he won’t get a king’s salary for what he can still do. On paper, he still clears the floor and still has a nose for the boards, but he’s not exactly the threat he used to be.
He wouldn’t change a contender’s prospects on his own, but he could be a good placeholder in case a team is down a few guys in the frontcourt. Remember when the Celtics started Blake Griffin while resting Al Horford on and off two years ago? That’s probably the best role Love could ask for at this stage of his career.
Since Utah has a plethora of bigs in their frontcourt, and Love is easily the most expendable of them all (all apologies to Jusuf Nurkic), they can afford to simply give him away, and for next to nothing. Looking to show that he still has some game left could actually be a pretty fun preseason storyline. Especially if it ends with him on a team that can use him.
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