The Miami Heat [just traded](https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1942226949453103199) Kevin Love in a three-team deal, and if the Utah Jazz waive him, he could be a perfect Los Angeles Lakers target, especially because of his relationship with LeBron James. Love and James won a championship together on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and the Lakers could use some extra big man depth.
Obviously, Love is nowhere close to the same player he once was. He is 36 years old and turns 37 before the start of next season, making him one of the older players in the league. Still, he could be a solid depth piece and a good locker room presence.
And the Lakers may get him for nothing in free agency.
**Kevin Love could be interesting Lakers target**
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Miami just concluded a three-team deal with the Jazz and the LA Clippers, in which Love ended up with the Jazz. Here are the full details of the trade:
**Jazz get:** Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, Second-round pick
**Heat get:** Norman Powell
**Clippers get:** John Collins
Utah is in a full-on rebuild at the moment. They’ve let a bunch of their veterans walk this summer, hitting another mini reset button. Jordan Clarkson signed with the New York Knicks in free agency, and the Jazz traded Collin Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets.
If they continue with the trend that they’ve started going down, it doesn’t make much sense for Love to stick around. Utah seems pretty likely to just waive him and allow him to find his next home.
That would open the door for the Lakers to swoop in and bring him on board, adding one of James’ friends to the roster and someone who can give them stop-gap minutes at the four or five.
As previously mentioned, Love is not the same player he once was. He used to be an automatic double-double, and after that, was an elite stretch big man. Now, he’s nothing more than an end-of-the-bench center.
Last season, Love appeared in only 23 games for the Heat, playing 10.9 minutes per contest. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 35.7% from the field and 35.8% from beyond the three-point arc.
Love won’t be the type of player to step in and immediately raise the Lakers’ ceiling as they try to win a championship, but he certainly couldn’t hurt. They already have [Deandre Ayton](https://lakeshowlife.com/deandre-ayton-make-crucial-realization-thrive-lakers) and Jaxson Hayes on board, so Love wouldn’t have to be anything more than an insurance policy.
Add in the fact that he’s already close friends with James, and targeting Love makes a ton of sense for the Lakers.