Ideal Walker Kessler replacement could find his way to the Jazz

The Utah Jazz deserve some props for not letting the Walker Kessler offseason drama drag on for too long. Once they knew of the predicament they were in, they took care of it. Not everyone's happy Kessler is gone, but they are happy to know Utah made the most of it. But now they must consider Kessler's replacement.

Currently, the Jazz are rolling with the center-by-committee approach. Jusuf Nurkic, Jaxon Hayes, and a sprinkle of Mo Bamba will take the lion's share of the center minutes, but it's hard to say how effective that strategy will be. If Utah proves they are a center upgrade from being a title contender, they could look into Jalen Duren.

Unlike Kessler and the Jazz, the Detroit Pistons have been in a staring contest with Duren that not only doesn't look like it will end anytime soon, but also looks like it's getting tense. NBA Insider Chris Haynes revealed that Duren may really want out of Detroit if he takes the qualifying offer, while adding that he doesn't think that's a wise decision.

He also added that they are far apart on a deal, but they could agree to a contract that would get him traded for value down the line.

Duren is coming off an All-NBA third team campaign, but more recently is coming off a pretty awful individual playoff campaign. It's pretty clear that he's not a title contender's second-best player, but perhaps in a lesser role he would be better. If the Jazz wanted him, he could be the perfect complementary player, depending on the price, of course.

In Utah, Duren wouldn't replace Kessler's rim protection, but would very much fill in as a rebounder. Because Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. aren't the best rebounders, Duren could help them very much in that regard.

If this were to happen, it wouldn't be right away

Technically, Utah could work out a sign-and-trade, but that's complicated. With the players they have signed to their roster, they likely wouldn't trade one of Markkanen or JJJ, and would have to wait to trade Nurkic, Hayes, and/or Josh Okogie.

Odds are that Duren will stay in MoTown, though for how long is the question. If their agreement doesn't sit right with him, it opens the door for Utah to swoop in and bring him in, though it will depend on how expensive he is and how much the Pistons would ask for. Keep in mind that the Jazz just got four pretty valuable draft assets from Kessler in addition to the ones they still have left over.

The Jazz have every reason to see their current vision through, but if Duren is available, and it's clear Utah just needs a better center to get over the hump, suddenly a trade seems doable.

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