Since the Utah Jazz traded John Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers, they still have yet to welcome Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to the team. That is definitely telling over two weeks after the trade. While it certainly wouldn't be shocking if Love never suits up for the Jazz, NBA Insider Jake Fischer confirmed on his live stream yesterday that Love's not long for Utah.
While Fischer didn't say the Jazz would get rid of Love, he made it clear that Love already has ideas on who he'd like his next team to be (17:45 mark).
“So with Kevin Love, to my understanding, he really only wants to be in the big glamour markets," Fischer said. "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.”
Fischer also confirmed that Love likely won't take a buyout until he knows he has another team lined up and that his next team will make up the difference when he hits the market. That is typically been the case with players who get bought out. They accept it when they already know what their next move is.
It's not surprising in the least that Love won't be a Jazzman this season. Case and point: when they acquired Jusuf Nurkic, they immediately officially welcomed him and even held an introductory press conference, signaling that he will be on their opening night roster, which they have not done for Love. However, it's not necessarily a given they'll buy him out.
But will the Jazz be the ones who buy him out?
Even though all signs are that Love is already thinking about his next team, it's also possible that Utah is still sorting out their roster and may re-route the former star and NBA champion somewhere else rather than buy him out. It might not be where Love wants to go, but it may not matter if the team that acquires him has every intention of buying him out, too.
Yesterday, the Jazz waived Jaden Springer to solve their roster crunch, and they might not be done retooling, as draft pick John Tonje remains unsigned. It's possible he may be signed to a two-way contract, or he may get a full-time contract. What the Jazz do with Love could determine what they do with Tonje.
So, while it appears Love will never done a Jazz jersey, the one question remains is where does Utah stand with Kyle Anderson?