Is Utah Jazz Big Man Still In Play For New Orleans Pelicans as Trade Option?

The New Orleans Pelicans have a need at center and Utah's big man may be on the move.

Nov 27, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) lays the ball up against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at Delta Center. / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans head into the 2024 NBA season without a real option at center. New Orleans lost significant depth this summer after trading away Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance, Jr., and Cody Zeller in various deals. They signed free agent center Daniel Theis and drafted Yves Missi with their first-round draft choice.

Theis is an undersized 6-foot-8 big man, who has been a journeyman for most of his career. Missi has raw upside, but limited basketball experience. The Cameroonian native has played organized basketball for only three years before joining the NBA. A report circulated recently that Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler is not part of the team's "long-term plan".

Kessler is a former first-round pick from the University of Auburn in 2022. He was traded twice before finally settling with the Utah Jazz. During his rookie season, Kessler started 40 games, averaging 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. Those stats garnered him an NBA All-Rookie First-Team selection and seemingly a bright future in Utah.

During his sophomore campaign, he was second in the league in blocked shots per game, only trailing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. However, Kessler started about half the games he started during his rookie season, and this summer the Jazz entertained trade offers for him. Reportedly, the New York Knicks offered a trade package to Utah, but talks stalled and the trade never manifested itself.

The Pelicans were at full roster capacity after signing former Chicago Bulls forward Javonte Green earlier this week. On Friday, New Orleans released sharpshooting forward Matt Ryan, who appeared in 28 games for the Pelicans last season. That puts them back at 14 and still slightly above the luxury tax line. The team has never paid the luxury tax in franchise history.

A move to acquire Kessler must involve draft capital and a player. That could mean second-year player Jordan Hawkins is potential trade bait in the deal. Hawkins had a promising start to his rookie season, averaging 30 minutes a game, and scoring 14.4 points on 36.7% shooting from the three-point line. Those numbers took a sharp turn the rest of the year, with six straight DNPs down the stretch when the Pelicans were fighting for playoff positioning.

Hawkins also struggled during Summer League this year. He led the team with 3.6 turnovers per game in the five Summer League appearances New Orleans played in Las Vegas. He shot a lowly 23% from beyond the arc, even though he averaged the most minutes on the team.

A deal for Kessler involving Hawkins could get the Pelicans under the salary cap and fill in a major hole in the middle for the team. The Pelicans have the draft assets to make a deal, but reports are the Jazz turned down a deal involving two future first-round picks for Kessler. It will be interesting to see if the teams engage in any meaningful trade talks for the third-year center.