The Los Angeles Lakers have a handful of significant team-building priorities this offseason, though the most important might be finding the ideal two-way big man to complement Luka Doncic.
A handful of options exist, including names like Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons, Robert Williams III of the Portland Trail Blazers and Mitchell Robinson of the NBA champion New York Knicks.
However, perhaps the best fit for what the Lakers’ are looking for is Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who is doing his best to try and push his way out of Salt Lake City after that franchise offered the restricted free agent a five-year deal worth $140 million. There is a significant problem with Kessler’s path to Southern California, however, that renders his arrival there this summer as the newest member of the Lakers highly unlikely.
Walker Kessler Ideal Fit for Lakers, but No Safe Path to Sign Him in Free Agency
Brian Windhorst of ESPN explained the issue on the June 17 edition of his podcast last week.
“[The Lakers’] No. 1 problem is they don’t have a starting-level center,” Windhorst said. “All due respect to DeAndre Ayton.”
“They need a defensive anchor desperately,” co-host Tim McMahon added.
“Walker Kessler is a defensive anchor. The Lakers have cap space,” Windhorst responded. “They could, knowing that the Jazz have an offer out there of $28-ish million, they could say, ‘Here’s an offer over the top of that.’ And they could do that, but there’s a couple of problems.”
“They’d have to renounce LeBron [James] and [Rui] Hachimura to do that, No. 1, or they’d have to get them into contracts that were pretty small. They can’t sign an offer sheet until July 6, and then once an offer sheet is signed, the [Jazz] have two days to match it,” Windhorst continued. “And if the Lakers don’t find out whether or not they’re gonna get Walker Kessler until July 8, they won’t have anybody left to sign. So there’s not going to be an offer sheet.”
Lakers Likely Can’t Acquire Walker Kessler, Keep Austin Reaves
Windhorst explained that because of the timing and complications surrounding trying to sign Kessler in free agency, the Lakers’ sole remaining pathway to acquire him is a sign-and-trade.
However, that would almost certainly run directly at cross purposes with the team’s other top priority of the offseason — signing Austin Reaves to a multiyear contract extension to serve as Doncic’s longterm backcourt partner.
“If you want Walker Kessler, the only way you’re going to be able to get him is by doing a sign-and-trade with the Jazz,” Windhorst said. “And I’m not sure, other than Austin Reaves, what you could offer in a sign-and-trade that’s gonna get you Walker Kessler.”
Kessler played in only five games last season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. However, the year prior, he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks per game as one of the premier rim-protectors in the NBA.
