With Deandre Ayton on the Los Angeles Lakers, there will fortunately be no Walker Kessler rumors linking him to them. However, that won't stop trade scenarios involving him. One proposed by New Orleans Pelicans Shamit Dua recently outlined one, but unlike others in the past, the Utah Jazz would have to consider this.
Dua proposed the following deal between the Pelicans and the Jazz.
Jazz receive: Dejounte Murray, Yves Missi, Jordan Hawkins, 2030 unprotected first-round pick
Pelicans receive: Kessler, John Collins, Cody Williams
Dua went into more detail about why the Pelicans would do it, but gave a pretty reasonable rationale for why the Jazz would too.
"For Utah, they would be taking on the injured Dejounte Murray, and being compensated with two promising young players, and an unprotected first round pick. Utah should hope to rehab Murray’s value and attempt to flip him at a later date. This also takes Utah out of the obligation to commit a large sum of money to Kessler without a clear team direction," Dua wrote.
Dua then explained what would perhaps be the best part about a deal like this.
"Murray will not hinder any plans to tank for AJ Dybantsa or Cam Boozer next season, but might be able to provide veteran guidance for the young guards already on Utah’s roster."
The Jazz have signaled that they are going all in on tanking *organically* next season, considering they practically handed Collin Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets and bought out Jordan Clarkson. Trading for Murray would fall in line with moves like that, as he will likely miss the 2025-26 season to rehab his torn Achilles.
The Pelicans have also gotten under some heat recently, as they traded a very promising asset (the more favorable pick between them and the Milwaukee Bucks next season) to the Atlanta Hawks. It's been pretty dysfunctional in New Orleans, so Utah taking advantage of that isn't necessarily the worst idea.
Why Utah would likely say no
The reason why they would say no is because they can't simply bank on teams lining up to acquire Murray next season. He has three years left on his deal, and is coming off one of the worst injuries an NBA player can suffer. There's no guarantee anyone would want him, as he's developed a bad reputation for not exactly helping the three teams he's played for - Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs - get to where they want to.
On paper, Murray works as legitimate trade candidate, but that has never translated into anything on the court.
The other problem is, if there's one team that desperately needs a proven center, it's New Orleans. In this trade, Utah hands over two quality big men to a team that would stand to benefit plenty from that kind of transaction.
In a sense, a dysfunctional team may not be so dysfunctional if it acquires a player(s) that fixes a lot of their problems. To get Kessler, an elite rim protector and offensive rebounder, and Collins, a stretch-five who can create his own shot, would turn a weakness into a strength.
That would not be worth an unprotected pick for. Add in a player on an expensive deal who hasn't proven to be the most effective NBA player, and it's a hard no for Utah on this one.
Grade: B-