Jazz Center Among Knicks Trade Targets

The New York Knicks could trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 29, 2024

Nov 15, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) dunks the basketball against the New York Knicks during the second half at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports / Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

Throughout the offseason, the New York Knicks have been seeking several different options to replace center Isaiah Hartenstein, who left for the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.

Among the players the Knicks have looked at potentially trading for is Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler. Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz believes Kessler is a strong fit to replace Hartenstein for the Knicks.

"The 7-footer is an elite rim protector who averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 22.3 minutes while making 65.4 percent of his shots," Swartz writes.

Kessler, 23, is young and doesn't have much experience playing in clutch games after two seasons with the lottery-bound Jazz, but his skillset would eclipse what Hartenstein was able to accomplish over this past season with the Knicks.

If the Knicks were to trade for him tomorrow, it would give him some time to build chemistry with the team, but it wouldn't be a guarantee that he would be as good or better than Hartenstein. If anything, he would start out on the bench behind Mitchell Robinson.

Given his age and his starting status with the Jazz, his price for a trade with likely be multiple draft picks, which the Knicks don't have much of considering they gave the Brooklyn Nets most of their future capital in the blockbuster deal that brought Mikal Bridges to Manhattan.

The Knicks would have to be willing to part with a significant piece in order for this trade with the Jazz to work. Julius Randle doesn't make sense for the Jazz because Lauri Markkanen just signed a long-term deal, so the Knicks would need to get a third team involved or scrounge the rest of their draft capital to make a move for a backup center.

Overall, it's a deal that is very unlikely to happen.

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Published Aug 29, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.