Walker Kessler matters to the Utah Jazz, and they get to prove how much he matters in the coming weeks.
He is due for an extension on his rookie-scale contract, as he heads into Year 4 in the NBA. The Jazz have until October 20th to come to an agreement on such a deal, which would keep Kessler with the Jazz for the forseeable future.
Kessler had a more consistent season in 2024-25, averaging 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds (5th in the NBA) and 2.4 blocks (2nd in the NBA). Thought the Jazz had a rough season, Kessler grew into the kind of center the Jazz envisioned when they gave up Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
And Walker has seemed to enjoy his time in Utah, despite trade offers that continually crop up during the Jazz rebuild, which the Jazz continue to refute.
So if the Jazz like Walker, and he likes them, what's the holdup on a long-term deal?
The Jazz and other NBA teams are trying to keep salary flexibility
This offseason, more than any before it, shows that NBA teams are finally being forced to rein in their spending ways.
The Boston Celtics, winners of the 2024 NBA Championship, dismantled a contending team that will be missing Jayson Tatum in the 2025-26 season, but is still projected to be a top-five team in the East. The Indiana Pacers, which reached the 2025 NBA Finals, allowed Myles Turner to walk in free agency after Tyrese Haliburton's injury, as a mid-market team trying to avoid luxury tax penalties.
In all only six NBA teams are projected to be in the tax for 2025-26, while 24 will avoid it entirely. And the 2022 draft class is getting left out in the cold, by NBA owners' hesitancy to spend this summer.
While the three all-star caliber players of the 2022 draft class were locked up quickly by their teams with extensions - Jalen Williams (5 years, $287 million), Chet Holmgren (5 years, $240 million), and Paolo Banchero (5 years, $239 million), only one other player from the class has received an extension so far - Jabari Smith Jr. (5 years, $122 million).
Others, like Keegan Murray, Walker Kessler, Jaden Ivey, Dyson Daniels, Tari Eason, Jalen Duren, Shaedon Sharpe, Bennedict Mathurin, Jeremy Sochan, and Christian Braun, are more than capable starters or solid rotation players who are deserving of an extension.
The Jazz can't afford to let Walker Kessler reach free agency
If the Jazz don't sign Kessler before October 20th to a new deal, they risk losing him for nothing next summer. Even though they would be able to match any offer he receives, teams could make it very difficult for the Jazz to match, especially when they will have multiple other players that are extension eligible (Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh) next summer.
Also, playing the contract matching game instead of extending can create issues with a player, as the Jazz learned with Gordon Hayward in 2017. Something that should worry Jazz fans everywhere.
A four-year, $120 million deal for Walker Kessler would be fair market value for Kessler this summer, based on other deals for big men that have been agreed to.
Players like Jarrett Allen ($30 million per year), Jakob Poetl ($28 million), and Myles Turner ($27 million) have set the market for big men this offseason, and that's where Kessler's agent will start with comparisons.
One could argue that Kessler is far better than Poetl, who turns 30 in October. While Allen (27) and Turner (29) are better offensively than Walker, they can't match his contributions on the other side of the court. Being younger may work in Walker's favor, placing his value solidly between $28 and 30 million a year.
The Ainges might not want to pay Walker Kessler that much right now, as the Jazz will have $40 million in projected cap space in 2026, and may want to keep that open to add a significant free agent in a year.
But they might not have a choice if they want to keep Walker Kessler here, happy and content. They should get the deal done now, before it becomes a distraction going into the 2025-26 NBA season.