NBA Trade Rumors: Utah Jazz had talks with the Los Angeles Lakers on Walker Kessler; talks continue

We’ve heard rumors before, but it’s clear that the Los Angeles Lakers are very interested in Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler. According to Anthony Irwin, the Lakers had talks last offseason and continue to have talks this season about Kessler.

From Irwin:

Lakers sources say they’ve held internal conversations about Robert Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers, Nick Richards of the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.

Speaking of Kessler, sources say the Lakers and Jazz got fairly close to a deal over the summer, but talks this year have been pretty inconsistent. One issue Utah has pointed to is that sending Kessler to pair with Davis would improve the Lakers front court not just this year, but, importantly, moving forward. Utah holds the Lakers’ ‘27 first, top-four protected pick. Danny Ainge has expressed concern that Kessler would stop the Lakers from fully bottoming out as Davis ages and after LeBron James retires.

It’s interesting that these talks were happening but also continue to happen, even if they’re inconsistent. There’s so much smoke with these Walker Kessler/Los Angeles Lakers talk. You have to believe something is possible. The only question is will the Lakers give an offer to the Jazz that makes the Jazz front office happy? We know that the asking price for Kessler has been two firsts. Will the Lakers give that? And considering that Kessler has been playing so well, you can bet that’s the minimum.

For Utah, this is the type of move that could define what they’re doing as a franchise. If Utah wants to actually go for AJ Dybantsa in two seasons, a move like this makes sense. If Utah gets lucky in the upcoming lottery and comes away with a game-changing player, they may lose their pick next year because of protections. If you’ve forgotten, the Utah Jazz owe their pick in 2026 to OKC unless it falls into the bottom 8 of the draft. Let’s pretend Utah wins the lottery this year and gets Dylan Harper. A starting unit of Keyonte George, Dylan Harper, Lauri Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler, coached by Will Hardy, is probably too good for the bottom 8. If that’s the team Utah wants, that’s fine. If Utah wants a chance at Dybantsa, it’s something they have to consider. Utah has got to make some tough decisions and make them soon. We’ll see what the Jazz do, but it’s time for Utah to be proactive for this season and the season to come.