Kevin Love Trivia Quiz

Answer: Memphis Grizzlies

Love was drafted by Memphis, but it didn't even take the Grizzlies two days to relocate him. The Minnesota Timberwolves came calling, with the trade officially being agreed to just hours after the draft had concluded. In it, the Wolves sent over their top draft choice, OJ Mayo, who had been taken just two spots ahead of Love, to Memphis. The Mayo/Love swap involved both teams sending over a great degree of organizational depth and the rights to a couple of different players. Minnesota would end up sending the draft rights to OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner to Memphis, in exchange for draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins.

Other than Mayo/Love, the other players involved all went on to have a minimal or, in one case, completely non-existent impact for their new teams. Mike Miller to Minnesota was the most impactful, and he only remained with the team for one year before moving on to continue what would turn into his lengthy seventeen year career.

Answer: Love's head coach got fired

In his first season, Love's Timberwolves got off to an extremely slow start in only being 4-15 after nineteen games, the single slowest start in the entire NBA at that time. In response, Minnesota brass opted to fire head coach Randy Wittmann, causing Wolves general manager and former NBA great Kevin McHale to take over.

Answer: No

As with any player, no reason was ever officially given for Love's lack of selection to the game. At the point selections were being made, Love was averaging just barely under a double-double, with a 12.4 point per game mark, agonizingly short 9.9 rebounds per game and 6.5 assist per game. Of course, because this game is intended only for rookies, and because you can only be a rookie once, Love would never be able to participate in the Rookie Challenge.

Answer: Cleveland Cavaliers

Famously, Cleveland traded their first round pick in 2015, former #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and 2014's #1 overall pick in Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. At the time, the Cavaliers had just regained the services of legendary baller LeBron James, and were trying to gear up for a championship run. Trading for Love to achieve this was logical, as Love filled an immediate position of need in Cleveland and, at the time, was the hands down best choice to do this.

Every year after 2014, until Love's time as a Cavalier ended, this trade would get revisited. NBA commentators, fans and even players themselves continued to ask the million dollar question: was the trade worthwhile? In the end, Bennett's career with Minnesota flamed out. Wiggins would go on to spend three productive years in Minnesota before being traded again to the Golden State Warriors. As well, the Timberwolves would use the pick received from Cleveland to select Josh Naylor, a player who ultimately did not pan out in the NBA.

For Cleveland's end, they received Kevin Love. Love made an immediate impact in Cleveland, and was massively responsible for helping the team win their first ever NBA Finals in 2016. He would go on to play in Cleveland for seven years after that, before Love and the Cavaliers finally parted ways in 2023, nine years after the trade took place. As such, the Cavaliers can look back at this trade and say that yes, definitively, the trade to get Kevin Love ended up working out fantastically.

Answer: Kelly Olynyk

At the time, Cleveland was leading Boston 3-0 in a best of seven series. Game four had begun, and the Cavaliers got off to a fast start early. A loose ball situation came up, in which Kevin Love and Kelly Olynyk went for the ball. In the ensuing scuffle, the NBA ruled that Olynyk "yanked on Kevin Love's arm" which caused the shoulder to become dislocated. Of course, Love would promptly leave that game and, unfortunately, his season came to a close as well.

The Cavaliers did go on to finish the Celtics off, winning the series 4-0. But, Love's absence would be felt very hard as Cleveland went on to the NBA Finals, but fell to Golden State 4-2.

Answer: Cleveland Cavaliers

Love signed a bloated five year deal with the Cavs which would be the largest contract he'd ever sign in his career. Love immediately rewarded Cleveland for resigning him, not just by posting another solid regular season, but by posting career playoff highs against the Detroit Pistons. Later, Love played one of the best games of his life in Game 7 of that year's NBA Finals, playing surprisingly oppressive defense against the legendary Steph Curry and keeping him in check just enough to let Cleveland win the winner-takes-all affair by a score of 93-89.

Answer: 34

This figure would have been good for the best in the entire NBA's history, but this mark was actually set at 37 just months prior by Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Love would finish the game with 43 points as the Cavaliers cruised to an easy win over Portland.

Answer: Miami Heat

After getting a buyout from Cleveland, Kevin Love signed a veteran's minimum contract to join Miami. The Heat, at the time, were a bubble team, and went on to barely make the playoffs. Despite barely squeaking their way in, Miami became the first #8 seed in NBA history to make it to the NBA Finals.

Here, however, their Cinderella story came to an end at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, who beat Miami in a very lopsided series.

Answer: Trading for him

Love managed to sign a contract extension with the Miami Heat, but he would not get to play it out fully in Miami, as the Heat traded him towards the tail end of his two year pact with the team. This was a three team trade, involving the Heat, the Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. Miami received forward Norman Powell from the Clippers, the Jazz got Love and Kyle Anderson from Miami and a second round draft pick from the Clippers, and the Clippers received center John Collins from Utah.

Answer: Cleveland

Love was a Cavalier for nine years, beginning in the 2014-15 season and ending in 2023. Prior to that, the first six years of Love's career were in Minnesota, spanning from his rookie year in 2008 up to 2014. He didn't stay in Miami as long, joining the Heat in 2023 and being traded in 2025. Love joined a Utah Jazz team that was, unfortunately for him, largely disinterested in winning games to the point of being punished by the NBA for deliberately losing at least one game in 2026.

As such, it can be safely said that the prime of his career in Minnesota and Cleveland is where he will ultimately have been the most successful.