Whether Utah Jazz fans like it or not, this topic will come up a lot over the next half-year or so. Walker Kessler is out for the season, but many will keep their eyes peeled on his restricted free agency. The Jazz did not extend Kessler this past offseason, and while there will likely be some drama involved, Utah won't leave anything to interpretation: he'll be back next season.
There was some buzz earlier that the Jazz and Kessler are far apart in terms of what his next deal should look like. The funny thing is, NBA Insider Marc Stein basically confirmed this, but added that the Jazz have let everyone know that they won't let Kessler go anywhere.
"We should also note that Utah has consistently rebuffed trade interest in center Walker Kessler, who was lost in November to a season-ending shoulder injury.
"Kessler will be a restricted free agent in the summer and the Jazz continue to signal that they hope to re-sign him after first capitalizing on their projected salary cap space in the offseason … despite the fact that the sides' negotiations on a rookie scale contract extension before the Oct. 20 deadline for such deals were marked by a significant gulf."
It was confirmed that the Jazz plan to keep Kessler after they've used their cap room this summer. Because of that approach, there will likely be plenty of rumors about teams trying to get him (Stein also confirmed the Pacers' interest in Kessler), but what Stein says here should make it clear that Utah won't be messing around even if their actions would imply otherwise in this situation.
The only remaining variable is how much the Jazz will pay him
Just because Utah has made it clear to everyone that they want to keep Kessler won't erase the fact that his camp and the Jazz have different views on how much he'll be paid. He has proven his worth, and the Jazz's defense is a complete joke without him, but because he may never make an All-Star team, the Jazz may use that against him in negotiations.
Kessler may use that someone like him is not easy to replace, and that's because he isn't. For that same reason, Utah's not taking any chances with his free agency, but they may want to keep his next contract within reason for them.
Even if we all know by now how this movie ends, we don't know how we'll get from point A to point B. For that reason, the Walker Kessler free agency movie should make for quite a summer blockbuster in 2026.