A couple of month later, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that Love was “actively exploring potential pathways out of Utah,” together with a buyout. Nevertheless, Stein didn’t checklist any potential suitors for Love, who stays on the Jazz’s roster a couple of weeks earlier than coaching camps are set to open.
Love is on an expiring contract, which can pay him $4.15M this season.
Inside a narrative concerning the sorts of ability units the Denver Nuggets would possibly take into account concentrating on with their fifteenth normal roster spot, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post experiences that Love is “extensively anticipated to be traded or purchased out by” the Jazz earlier than the 2025-26 season begins, and when that occurs, he’s prone to land with a contending group.
That doesn’t imply Love will find yourself in Denver; Durando makes it clear he’s simply floating an thought. However it’s fascinating — albeit unsurprising — that Love is reportedly unlikely to stay with the Jazz, who had the worst document within the NBA final season (17-65).
Ahead depth will not be Denver’s highest precedence, however Durando notes that reserves Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II, Zeke Nnaji and Hunter Tyson are all younger and comparatively inexperienced. Maybe most significantly, Watson is the one participant of the group who has proven he generally is a rotation common up to now.
Love, in the meantime, turned 37 Sunday and is coming into his 18th NBA season after being chosen fifth general within the 2008 NBA Draft. The five-time All-Star hasn’t performed a lot the previous few years, largely serving as a veteran mentor in Cleveland and Miami, although he did end runner-up for Sixth Man of the Yr in 2021-22.
Durando additionally factors out the Love has a longstanding relationship with head coach David Adelman, who was an assistant for a part of Love’s tenure in Minnesota.
For what it’s price, Durando says point-of-attack protection and level guard depth are the opposite two areas the Nuggets would possibly need to deal with sooner or later. As our Luke Adams famous in his offseason check-in, Denver has been a taxpayer for 3 straight years and is working simply over the luxurious tax threshold, so the group could also be motivated to complete the season under the tax — an necessary first step towards resetting the repeater clock.
