Kevin Love is still technically with the Utah Jazz, but, from the very beginning, the thought process is that he won't suit up for them this coming season, one way or the other. No matter how the situation resolves itself, the Jazz would be doing Love a massive favor if he winds up on one particular powerhouse: the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Post's Bennett Durando floated this idea when discussing the inevitable situation going down between Love and the Jazz.
"Although he’s been linked to other teams already, one idea worth throwing out there is Kevin Love. The 37-year-old is widely expected to be traded or bought out by Utah before the season, and when he does, a contender will scoop him up. Maybe he gets an encore in Cleveland or joins one of the Los Angeles teams. But why not Denver?" Durando wrote.
He then elaborated on why Love would potentially consider the Nuggets, and not just because they are a surefire contender.
"He and (David) Adelman have a previous relationship from their overlapping years with the Timberwolves. Love also played high school ball near Portland, Ore., and lost the 2005 state championship game to Jesuit High School — where Adelman was a volunteer assistant coach at the time."
But outside of Love's personal connections with Denver, they would make all the sense in the world. The Nuggets reloaded this offseason, upgrading from Michael Porter Jr. to Cameron Johnson, bringing back Bruce Brown, adding Jonas Valanciunas as Nikola Jokic's backup, and signing Tim Hardaway Jr. Love isn't what he was, hence why he hasn't been traded, but he provides more proven depth.
Plus, the Nuggets give Love one more shot at a title before he hangs it up. Now approaching his late 30s, Love is at best a role player, and that's actually kind of debatable. At this stage of his career, he may be best as a "break glass in case of emergency" backup like what DeAndre Jordan was to the Nuggets for the past three years.
The Jazz have several teams favors this offseason
If Love winds up on the Nuggets when that situation is taken care of once and for all, it will be yet another in what has been a long list of favors the Jazz have done for multiple NBA teams this offseason.
That includes the Charlotte Hornets (gift-wrapped Collin Sexton), Los Angeles Clippers (did the same with John Collins), Miami Heat (helped them get Norman Powell for nothing), and the New York Knicks (got Jordan Clarkson for free).
Love isn't as good as those players are currently, but he would still be a solid addition for a title contender like the Nuggets. It's not like the Jazz have hurt themselves in the process from the moves they've made, but they truly have been givers.