Jazz's desire for young wing could be X-factor in Walker Kessler trade
By Matt John
The Utah Jazz have told the Los Angeles Lakers no on Walker Kessler, but that doesn't necessarily mean a trade is dead. The Lakers will likely have to pay up for Kessler, which is why they were right to reject the trade, but it might not be so outlandish knowing who could come back.
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers not picking up Jalen Hood-Schifino's third-year option could lead to a trade, and that the Jazz are interested in him. More than that, he might play a factor in trade negotiations for Kessler.
“He will be playing in the G League this year and he’ll have plenty of opportunity to showcase himself both in the G League in general and at the G League Showcase when the entire league descends upon Orlando in December. Atlanta had interest in him in that talk with Dejounte [Murray] last year. Utah, I believe, has shown interest in him, to my knowledge, in those talks about Walker Kessler. Brooklyn, I’ve been told, is a team that has interest in him. So, just keep an eye on Jalen Hood-Schifino as a potential outgoing salary expiring deal,” Fischer said, as transcribed by Silver Screen & Roll's Jacob Rude.
The Lakers have been linked to Kessler, and the Jazz's willingness to gamble on Hood-Schifino demonstrates that a trade sending Kessler to the Lakers might not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
Is Hood-Schifino worth taking a flyer on?
It's impressive that the Lakers are already giving up on Hood-Schafino not even two years after they drafted him. While that may sound like a red flag, it's likely more a product of the Lakers wanting to cut costs so that they don't cross the NBA's second tax apron.
It's hard to say whether or not it's worth it because Hood-Schifino has not proven much since the Lakers drafted him in 2023. He's only played 21 games and averaged 5.2 minutes a game. The Jazz are in a position to take a flyer on hardly-proven players like Hood-Schifino, but it's a little drastic to suggest he's a centerpiece in a Kessler trade.
He's more like a complimentary asset to what the Lakers could offer the Jazz in a trade. If this Kessler smoke is real, having someone like Hood-Schifino return can be compared to when the Jazz received Ochiaai Agbaji from the Cavaliers in the Donovan Mitchell trade. He hadn't proven much, and he certainly wasn't the main piece coming back, but why not?
Granted, that didn't work out, but that's exactly why he was a secondary asset, much like Hood-Schifino would be. Again, a Kessler trade to the Lakers seems hard to fathom, but if they can work a deal out, no one would have a problem with taking a chance on the Lakers' former first-round pick.