Kevin Love says unexpected trade to Utah has become “truly great experience”
kevin-love-trade-utah-jazz-role
Veteran forward Kevin Love acknowledged he was caught off guard by the offseason deal that sent him from the Miami Heat to the Utah Jazz, telling ESportsInsider.com’s D.J. Siddiqi the move initially “stung” after his family had settled in South Florida.
“(The Heat) got better in the trade; they got Norman Powell. But yeah, it still stung in the few weeks after the facts,” the 37-year-old said in the interview published Nov. 18.
League observers expected the rebuilding Jazz to flip or buy out the five-time All-Star before opening night, but Love said Utah’s organization “has been amazing” and he is in no rush to leave. Through seven of the club’s last eight games, he is averaging 14.0 minutes off the bench while providing guidance to a young roster.
The shoulder surgery that ended center Walker Kessler’s season has expanded Love’s on-court role. “Even if I’m not playing, I think my role—it’s great to have a role in my 18th season—is being that veteran leader…showing what professionalism looks like every single day,” he said.
Love is in the final year of a contract that cannot be extended, positioning him for unrestricted free agency next summer if he is not traded, waived, or bought out first. He is evaluating his career on a “year-by-year” basis but did not rule out a future return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent eight-and-a-half seasons.
“They were so good to me,” he said of Cleveland. “Regardless if that happened or not, I’m always going to go back.”
Source: HoopsRumors
