Kevin Love, Jazz Haven’t Had Serious Contract Buyout Talks

After the Miami Heat dealt Kevin Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team trade in July, the five-time All-Star wing has long been expected to hit the open market through a contract buyout.

Kevin Love Wants To Compete For NBA Championship

Although rumors are heating up, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that the Jazz and Love “have not yet moved into serious buyout discussions despite reports to the contrary.”

Stein added, “It is widely known in league circles that Love is determined to play for a playoff contender at this point in his career, but it is also customary for a buyout process to progress to an advanced stage once a post-buyout landing spot is assured.”

A contract buyout would make Love an unrestricted free agent.

When and if a buyout is reached, Love would be interested in joining a squad based in the New York or Los Angeles markets. Those teams include the Clippers, Knicks, Lakers, and Nets.

However, only those first three teams are playoff contenders.

“So with Kevin Love, to my understanding, he really only wants to be in the big glamour markets,” NBA insider Jake Fischer said during a Bleacher Report live stream.

“I do think it would mostly be something along the lines of Kevin Love going to a New York or a Los Angeles type of situation. So, we’ll see if that can materialize for him.”

Love To Enter 18th NBA Season

Fischer emphasized that many buyouts this summer followed a similar pattern — players waited until their next team was confirmed before completing the mutual agreement.

In July, Bradley Beal agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns and joined the Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option after he cleared waivers.

The Jazz acquired Love, forward Kyle Anderson, and a second-round draft pick in a trade that sent forward John Collins to the Clippers and swingman Norman Powell to the Heat.

In 23 games (nine starts) for the Heat last season, Love averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 10.9 minutes per contest while shooting 35.7% from the field and 35.8% from deep.

Per Spotrac, the upcoming 2025-26 season is the final year of Love’s contract, and he’s slated to make $4.2 million. The 37-year-old is entering his 18th season in the NBA.