Rumor: Kevin Love Wants To Play For Clippers Or Lakers

August 5, 2025

NBA, Kevin Love, Lakers, Clippers — Luke Hales/Getty Images

NBA veteran Kevin Love wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers next season, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

The Miami Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz. Love and Utah will agree to a buyout soon.

Love played with Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two won the 2016 title together.

Meanwhile, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was the coach of the 2016 Cleveland team.

“Word around the league surrounding Kevin Love is that he wants to end up in Los Angeles, sources said,” Siegel wrote. “There were some rumors that Love would want to go to New York, although there doesn’t seem to be much interest brewing from the Knicks.

“Both the Clippers and Lakers still have one open roster spot. But if the Lakers were to pursue Love and reunite him with LeBron, they would need to move off another contract since they are hard-capped at the first apron and just $1.1 million from this mark. When looking at the Clippers, they are basically in the same situation, as they are $1.2 million from their first apron hard cap.”

Love averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists for the Heat last season in 23 games while shooting 35.7% from the field, 35.8% from beyond the arc and 69.6% from the free-throw line.

Love, 36, has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Heat. The UCLA product has career averages of 16.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 952 NBA games.