The trade rumors surrounding Walker Kessler and the Utah Jazz never made sense. His name popped up in trade rumors last offseason, but that was coming off a sophomore season so disappointing that maybe they thought he had reached his peak and was better off elsewhere.
At the same time, they would only have agreed to a deal if a trade partner had paid a premium price and then some for him. Kessler has played so well that it doesn't matter if a team is willing to pay that price because the Jazz won't trade him for that.
While a local LA reporter revealed that the Lakers shouldn't count on a Kessler trade not too long ago, Marc Stein, who has pretty dependable intel, reinforced the notion that Kessler will stay in Utah on The Stein Line.
"Oft-suggested Lakers target Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz is believed to (be) as close to unavailable as it gets with less than 10 days to go before the trade deadline on Feb. 6 at 3 PM ET," Stein wrote.
To be fair, Stein isn't completely closing the door on a Kessler trade, but he is reiterating the sentiment that anyone who thinks a Kessler trade might happen - in the way they think he'll be dealt - will likely be disappointed.
That's why trade scenarios that send him to the Lakers don't make sense. Even if the Jazz get all the picks they want from the Lakers, they're still helping the Lakers get better while getting cheap draft assets for their troubles, and that's not worth it in a Kessler trade.
So, any trade involving Kessler in which the Jazz get first-round picks and/or young players back for him will not happen, and for good reason. That doesn't mean a Kessler trade is completely out of the question, but the Jazz would only agree to trade him in one scenario.
How a Kessler trade could happen
From how things are shaking out, a Kessler trade would only work if the Jazz get someone unquestionably better than him. For example, if, say, the Lakers really want Kessler, the Jazz would likely tell them that any trade involving Kessler would have to (don't laugh) involve getting Anthony Davis back
Would it be unreasonable for the Jazz to ask for Davis in return for Kessler? Most definitely! For as good as Kessler is, Davis is one of the NBA's best big men, but that's not the point. The point is that in scenarios like those, the Jazz would dare entertain sending Kessler elsewhere only if they get an upgrade for him.
On that point, it appears that such a deal is not on the table, and why would it be? The Jazz are tanking, so trading Kessler for an upgrade only hurts their chances of getting a top-notch prospect from a loaded draft. Making a win-now move when the plan is to win later makes even less sense than selling off Kessler for assets,
So a Kessler trade would likely only happen if they get someone better than him, but the Jazz aren't shopping for that, nor are they shopping him for the most assets possible. Hence, Kessler's sticking around until further notice, pending any unforeseen surprises.