After playing for three seasons with the Miami Heat, Kevin Love was traded to the Utah Jazz over the summer. This season, he still has one year remaining on his two-year contract, which he initially signed with the Heat.
The moment his contract expires at the end of this season, rumors suggest that he could rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question now is whether Love will decide to stay with Utah or move back to Cleveland.
Kevin Love Gets Candid About Moving Back to Cleveland
Love is now considered to be a veteran figure in the league. Despite his numbers declining in recent times, teams want to have him on their roster because of the championship experience he has from playing with the Cavaliers.
The Jazz, a team currently rebuilding, is also in need of a locker room leader who can help them win games, even if it doesn’t translate to success on the hardwood. That’s the role Love is currently playing for Utah.
However, there are rumors that the power forward could opt to play with the Cavaliers again in the near future. Love broke his silence regarding these rumors and set the record straight.
In an exclusive interview with NBA insider D.J. Siddiqi, Love clarified how the Jazz have treated him since arriving in Utah. While he is still interested in moving back to Cleveland, he also doesn’t mind sticking around Utah.
“I don’t want to make any assumptions–they’ve been so good to me here already with Utah, and if this is it, then I’m very happy with that,” Love said. “Obviously, Cleveland is a near and dear place to me. But regardless if that happened or not, I’m always going to go back to Cleveland. They were so good to me for my eight-and-a-half seasons there, and continue to be.”
Honestly, Love isn’t to blame if he wishes to go back to Cleveland. He spent the majority of his career playing with the Cavaliers. He helped LeBron James and Kyrie Irving bring home Cleveland’s first NBA championship in 2016. Love was also responsible for taking the Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
With all that in mind, Love is undoubtedly a beloved figure in the city of Cleveland. When everything has been said and done, the Cavaliers will likely retire his jersey due to the significant contributions he made during their successful run in the mid-2010s.
