Insider Reveals Lakers' Potential Trade Offer for Jazz's Walker Kessler

What could the Los Angeles Lakers offer up for the young Utah Jazz center?

Feb 14, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) tries shoot the ball past Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

While it's still early in the NBA calendar, league trade chatter and whispers have found their way into headlines just two weeks into the fresh season, with the Utah Jazz being at the forefront of the latest developments.

Starting off this season, we saw some early rumors around the Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers, centered around Utah's third-year big man Walker Kessler, and some outside interest lingering from LA. While it's a bit surprising to see those talks come within two weeks of the fresh year, considering the impact that the 23-year-old center can bring to a team's defense, it makes sense for other teams to make a call to gauge intrigue in a potential deal.

However, despite the Lakers' interest, it seems the Jazz have none to offer on their end with LA's proposed blueprint of a trade, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick and John Hollinger.

"While our Jovan Buha recently reported the Lakers have interest in Kessler, a Jazz source indicated the possible framework of a deal —D’Angelo Russell and multiple first-round picks — would not be of interest," Amick and Hollinger said. "Though, there could be other Lakers iterations that might be of more interest.

Kessler has started his third season with the Jazz averaging 8.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks on 58.1% shooting from the field. Utah has yet to make things flow in terms of getting wins on the board, but in terms of how the team's young center has looked across five starts, there's reason to be excited for him and his future.

For the Jazz to have any interest in a deal, it would likely have to result in more appealing pieces outside of a 28-year-old D'Angelo Russell and some draft capital. Kessler is an impact player who fits the current timeline of this young roster, and unless this front office doesn't plan to pay a second contract his way, moving off of his services now wouldn't make a ton of sense for Danny Ainge and Co.

Kessler will be extension eligible come this offseason. As long as he holds up as a solidified defensive anchor in the middle for the Jazz, and continues to show strides forward in his development on both sides of the ball, it would be expected for the two sides to get something worked out long-term in due time, rather than to part ways.

Yet, with someone such as Danny Ainge calling the shots in Utah, it's always fair to expect the unexpected. Keep an eye on trade rumors involving Kessler and other names on the depth chart down the line of this season, with the trade deadline still sitting a way's away on February 6th.

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