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The Los Angeles Lakers have been searching for a long-term answer at center for years. Now, one of their favorite targets may suddenly be available.
According to sources and confirmed by the California Post, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler is increasingly frustrated with the organization over the handling of his contract situation, creating an intriguing offseason storyline for a Lakers team desperate for size, rim protection and a frontcourt partner for Luka Dončić.
According to sources, the Jazz offered Kessler a 5-year contract worth around $140 million, which would come out to $28 million AAV. That would make Kessler the 10th-highest paid center in the league, just below Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5M) and ahead of Milwaukee’s Myles Turner ($26.6M).
However, sources say Kessler’s camp is not thrilled with that offer and is wanting signifcantly more, this putting the two sides at odds.
The development is notable because the Lakers have pursued Kessler before.
Utah has repeatedly rebuffed trade inquiries for the 24-year-old center, who has emerged as one of the NBA’s premier young defensive big men. But with tensions now reportedly simmering between player and team, a path that once seemed completely closed could become more realistic.
Kessler checks nearly every box on the Lakers’ wishlist.
At 7-foot-1, he provides elite rim protection, strong rebounding and efficient finishing around the basket. He is also viewed as an ideal fit alongside Dončić, whose ability to create lob opportunities helped turn centers like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford into highly productive offensive weapons in Dallas.
Even after a shoulder injury limited him to just five games last season, Kessler averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals while shooting 70.3 percent from the field.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently highlighted Kessler as one of the most intriguing names to watch during free agency.
“The Lakers do badly need a high-level starting center,” Windhorst wrote. “The two best ones on the free agent market this summer, Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler, are restricted free agents, and their teams have indicated they want to keep them.”
Windhorst noted that Los Angeles could attempt to pressure Utah by presenting Kessler with an aggressive offer sheet.
“The Lakers could try to work with Kessler — a defensive specialist with excellent size who has been far apart from the Jazz in contract talks since last summer — to try to stress the Jazz with an offer sheet,” Windhorst wrote.
He quickly added a warning.
“But that’s a dangerous game.”
Because Kessler is a restricted free agent, Utah retains the right to match any contract offer. League insiders still largely expect the Jazz to do exactly that.
Still, for a Lakers team that has spent years searching for a dominant young center, the fact that Kessler’s relationship with the Jazz appears strained is enough to make this one of the offseason’s most compelling situations to monitor.
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