Don't Rule Out a Kevin Love Return to the Utah Jazz Just Yet

Heading into this offseason for the Utah Jazz, there was some expectation that the team could come to a new agreement for their free agent big man Kevin Love.

He had come off of his first season with the team following his trade to Utah in the 2025 offseason, was vocal about enjoying his time on the roster and living in Salt Lake City, and left the door open for a return if the front office was willing to extend an opportunity his way.

Then free agency arrived, and with it came reservations of whether or not Love would truly be back in the building for another year.

Love was hanging out with LeBron James on an offseason vacation, along came speculation of the two pairing up wherever James signed in free agency, while the Jazz decided to fill out their roster with 15 traditional contracts.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Love is considered as a plus 1 to any team that acquires LeBron James,” - @JakeLFischer.

(Via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/BzhsfVkzxA
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 12, 2026

So very quickly, the talks of whether or not Love might run it back in Utah fizzled out as the offseason progressed. The Jazz put together a full roster, and Love might have other plans to continue his NBA career anyways.

However, perhaps it's a little too early to count out the idea, based on how the last few days have gone.

Why Kevin Love Re-Signing to Utah Isn't Totally Unreasonable

Of course, the biggest domino to have fallen within the NBA offseason in recent days is LeBron James deciding on the Philadelphia 76ers as his next team, which is huge news in its own right, but might also affect Love's plans as well.

Because when looking at the 76ers' roster, adding LeBron takes them to 15 total players. Add in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who's reportedly signing to Philadelphia as well, and that makes 16 players on their roster.

So already, the idea of Love joining forces with LeBron once again gets a lot tougher to execute in reality. Love would need two extra roster spots to open up in Philadelphia, which isn't exactly the most favorable outcome to see transpire to make way for an 18-year veteran like Love to come onboard.

Mar 7, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Utah Jazz forward/center Kevin Love (42) shoots the ball during pregame warmups before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Then, you add in the Jazz's side of the equation. While they have 15 traditional contracts on the roster as is, one of those signings–– Mo Bamba–– is on a non-guaranteed contract.

If Utah wants to add Love onto the roster as a late offseason signing to fill out their frontcourt and bring back his veteran experience, they have ample flexibility to do that.

Love can come in on a veteran minimum deal, compete with Bamba for that roster spot, and only cost the Jazz $200,000 by cutting Bamba from the roster before opening night.

Is it the most likely outcome in the cards for Love? Maybe it's more wishful thinking than anything. But at least for how Love performed when he played last season in Utah, it's not like he'd just be on the roster to come along for the ride. He was a pretty solid player when he was on the floor, even at age 37.

During the 37 games he was active for throughout last season, Love averaged 6.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 37.3% from three in a little more than 16 minutes a game.

So as a third-string center who can be a positive voice in the locker room, while also bringing rebounding and shooting in the frontcourt, there's a conversation to be had about whether or not he makes sense for Utah to add back into the fold. Time will tell if the Jazz make the idea become a reality.

Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X to stay up to date with daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!

Add us as a preferred source on Google