Kevin Love reveals who convinced him to join the Jazz after blockbuster trade

Following the announcement that the Utah Jazz had acquired Kevin Love in the blockbuster John Collins trade, immediately, the prevailing narrative was that he wouldn't be a Jazzman for long. However, Love has surprisingly stuck around and has embraced his place on the Jazz. What exactly convinced the former star and champion to stay? None other than Will Hardy.

Love confirmed this during his appearance on "The Old Man and the Three," where he revealed Hardy was the one who convinced him to be with the team.

"The thing that Will told me was, 'Hey, you might not play big minutes or play for an extended period of time, but that opportunity might be there. Just work like you always have.' But he said, 'You will have a role on this team. You will have a role.'

"And I think when I was making my decision on going to Utah in late September, that was something that really drove me to go because I think everybody in this league wants to add value and wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves."

Love then delved into his blossoming friendship with Hardy, including his "immediate trust factor" and how because of their friendship, Love is "an extension of the coaching staff."

The praise Love had for Hardy (and the Jazz in general) didn't stop there during his appearance on the podcast, as he had a lot more to say about them. It goes to show that, despite Love not being an All-Star anymore, he remains a prominent name in the NBA because of his rep, and his wanting to stay in Utah reflects quite well on the team, even though he could have told them he wanted out from the jump.

Trading Love looks so much smarter than it initially did

Trading for Love at 37 years old was a decision that no Jazz fan was excited for at first, but they at least understood what had to be done. It saved Utah money, they got a big trade exception out of it, and trading Collins was sure to make the team worse, which the fans want.

However, the Love experience has been a rarity for Utah and in a good way. Love has not only embraced being a mentor for the Jazz's youth, but he's gone out of his way to let everyone know how amazing it has been for him play here. The Jazz haven't had too many players in the place Love is gush about the Jazz the way he has. Because of their reputation for not being a player destination, they have everything to gain from this.

Utah was simply looking to shed salary from this deal, but Love's role on the team has unquestionably been a positive one. What he's both done and had to say about the Jazz could play a huge role for the team's long-term future even if what he does won't show up on the box score.