SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag, where this week we explore why Kevin Love remains on the roster rather than taking a buyout.
Each week, we will send out a prompt on X and BlueSky asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.
Then, we’ll respond to as many as we can in that week’s Jazz mailbag in the Jazz Notes podcast.
Jazz Mailbag: Why Didn’t Jazz Buy Out Kevin Love?
If Kevin Love couldn’t find a team that wanted him in the offseason, what are the odds a team wants to trade for him during the season? Why not just buy him out?
— Jimbo Slice (@JimboRudding) October 6, 2025
Question: If Kevin Love couldn’t find a team that wanted him in the offseason, what are the odds a team wants to trade for him during the season? Why not just buy him out?
Answer: During the offseason, NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Shams Charania reported that Kevin Love preferred to play in a more glamorous market than Utah. But as training camp opened, he remained with the Jazz.
It’s likely Love’s camp explored buyout options, hoping to find a better landing spot. But without a more appealing offer, Love had little incentive to leave Utah. Without a guaranteed roster spot or a chance to join a better team, agreeing to a buyout didn’t make sense.
Given the current free agent landscape, Love—like fellow former All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons—risked starting the season without a job. At 17 seasons in, he’s trying to extend his career, but opportunities are scarce.
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Love’s $4.1 million salary, while modest by NBA standards, exceeds the value of most end-of-bench players. With stricter salary cap aprons in place, every dollar counts—especially for contenders.
That works against Love. In previous years, a team like the New York Knicks might have signed him as a veteran insurance big. But under today’s financial constraints, they opted for Ariel Hukporti, whose minimum deal costs the team $1 million less and offers more roster flexibility.
So why didn’t the Jazz buy Love out?
Unlike Westbrook and Simmons, Love has a reputation as one of the league’s best teammates and a positive locker room presence. While veteran leadership can be overrated, Love’s name recognition as a future Hall of Famer—and his willingness to mentor rather than compete for minutes—adds value. The Jazz appreciated similar traits in Patty Mills last season.
Mills also proved useful at the trade deadline. Utah packaged him with Drew Eubanks in a deal with the Clippers, netting a second-round pick and cash. The Jazz can now hope to do the same with Love.
Kevin Love is all smiles in his first official day with the @utahjazz. #TakeNote | @KSLSportsZone pic.twitter.com/FKl3H5paOI
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2025
Though contenders didn’t prioritize Love before the season, his championship experience could become more valuable by February—especially for teams needing frontcourt depth.
Less romantically, the Jazz had no financial incentive to buy him out. Without a better offer elsewhere, Love had no reason to accept less than his full $4.1 million.
That left the Jazz paying the same amount whether he stayed or left, so keeping him gives them a chance to trade him for a positive asset later in the season.
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Ben Anderson is the author of the Jazz Mailbag, a Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports, the author of the Jazz Mailbag, and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
