Lakers Insider Opens Door on Potential Walker Kessler Trade

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Matt Levine works as a contributing writer for Newsweek based in California. His expertise is in covering the NBA but he also covers multiple other sports. He has been with Newsweek since 2024. He graduated in 2021 with a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University. You can get in touch with him by emailing m.levine@newsweek.com and you can find him on X at @Levine1445.

Matt Levine

Contributing Sports Writer

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need a center as the team enters the upcoming NBA offseason. After being exposed in the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers’ front office understands the top priority for the summer.

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Los Angeles has been linked with multiple players ahead of the offseason, but there remains one perfect match. That would be center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers have tried to land Kessler from Utah multiple times before, but they have been shot down each time. However, Kessler is now eligible for a contract extension this summer, and whether Utah wants to pay him remains unknown.

According to Lakers insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Los Angeles remains very interested in going after Kessler. The Lakers could look to re-engage with the Jazz this summer on a potential deal.

“Walker Kessler remains a name that the Lakers are intrigued by…That remains a player that the Lakers feel could fill the void that they have at center.”

Landing Kessler would cost the Lakers a pretty penny, but he could be worth it. Kessler is the exact type of center that Los Angeles wants to put around star guard Luka Doncic moving forward.

Kessler is one of the best defensive centers in the game today, and he could completely alter the Lakers’ roster. While he doesn’t space the floor, he is a rim-running, lob-threat that Los Angeles could use very effectively.

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Last season, Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game for the Jazz. Utah has kept Kessler in very high regard, and they have asked for a massive trade package if they were ever to move him.

But with Kessler now eligible to be paid, teams across the league will see how Utah really values him. If the Jazz don’t believe he is worth a big extension, trading him this summer would make all the sense in the world.

Los Angeles would be at the front of the line in any deal, and Kessler seems to be the main target for the front office. The Lakers can sweeten any offer to the Jazz by taking off the top-four protections on the 2027 first-round draft pick that they owe Utah.

A trade for Kessler still feels unlikely at this point, but this summer could give the Lakers the opening they need. Kessler could be the center of the future in Los Angeles, and the Lakers should do whatever they can to grab him.

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For more on the Lakers, Jazz, and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.

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