Feb 6, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) warms up before the game between the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Lakers Linked to Former Cavaliers Star

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Tommy Wild | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:52 PM ET

Kevin Love has a solid NBA career, but he'll be mostly remembered for playing a key role on the Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the 2016 Championship.

Of course, another member of that roster was arguably the greatest player of all time, LeBron James.

While Love and LeBron haven't played on the same team in nearly eight years, the duo could team up once as both their career are coming to an end.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line identified Love as "certainly a buyout candidate" following his trade to the Utah Jazz.

If Love does become a free agent, Caleb Hightower of The Sporting News believes Love could team up with James on the Los Angeles Lakers, especially in a leadership role.

"Nowadays, Love is a shell of his former self in the big leagues. Still, if the Lakers view him as a respectable reserve who can offer satisfactory three-point shooting production, the organization could scoop him up in the buyout market," wrote Hightower.

Heading to Los Angeles would also be a homecoming for Love, who is a native of Santa Monica, California, and went to UCLA.

There's no denying the 36-year-old is past the prime of his career, but Love is still valuable in terms of his long-range shooting and veteran leadership.

From a Cavaliers fan's perspective, seeing Love and James share the floor again would be extremely nostalgic, even if they aren't wearing the colors wine and gold.

It'll be interesting to see where Love ends up if the Jazz buys him out.