The Utah jazz decided to wait until next offseason to take care of the Walker Kessler contract situation. For what it's worth, Kessler has proven that he's a keeper, and it's clear Utah wants to keep him. When the day comes to give him what he wants, Kessler's projected to get a contract worth over $100 million for the next five years, which is pretty solid value for someone like him.
Former NBA executive and ESPN's Bobby Marks projected what kind of contract extension Kessler could agree to with Utah.
"Five years, $116 million. The extension would be a win-win for both sides. For Kessler, the $20 million starting salary next season ranks in the top 15 among all centers. The Jazz, on the other hand, would lose only $4 million in cap flexibility next summer," Marks wrote.
Honestly, a contract like that is pretty adequate for someone like Kessler. He likely won't make any All-Star teams (though to be fair, the West is simply too loaded with talent for him to break through), but Kessler has shown enough as a rim protector and offensive rebounder (and maybe a passer?!) to definitely warrant an extension as big as that one.
The real question will be if Kessler will agree with that amount because, even if he's not a star per se, he's not exactly a replaceable player on Utah's roster. He may use this against them in extension talks, and it wouldn't be surprising if he did, seeing as he vented his frustration about not getting a new deal during Jazz Media Day.
If Utah can get Kessler on that kind of deal, that's fantastic news for them, but it would all depend on if Kessler himself agrees with that figure.
If Kessler proves even more, the Jazz must pay more
Last season, Kessler had a chip on his shoulder as he wanted to prove his subpar sophomore season was a fluke more than anything else. He proved that he still very much is an ascending player in the NBA. While the Jazz should be happy about him returning to form next season, waiting until next summer to pay up for him could be a problem if he continues to improve from here.
Remember that Utah tried to turn Kessler into a three-point shooter towards the end of last season (though that was when the season was all but over and all they had to lose was lottery odds), so the team clearly thinks there might be some aspects of his game that have yet to be unlocked.
It's possible there still might be some positive aspects about Kessler that we have yet to see, like his passing game looks better. If he proves that he's got another gear, he'll want more than what Marks projects. However, if the Jazz believe they are better off with him on the team, then they shouldn't feel too uncomfortable giving him what he wants.