If Walker Kessler hadn't rebounded from an underwhelming second season, the matter of re-signing him would be much more complicated for the Utah Jazz. However, his return to form and then some in Year 3 makes the prospect of re-signing him a piece of cake.
This offseason, the Jazz have the chance to extend Kessler before he even reaches restricted free agency, and all indications are that's exactly what will transpire. Kessler voiced his love for everything Utah during his exit press conference, so pending any surprises, the Jazz's offseason should end with Kessler on a long-term extension.
There's no telling what lies ahead for Kessler, but keeping him seems like a pretty clear choice when deciding between what the Jazz's future would look like with him and what it would look like without him. The Jazz might be at rock bottom as a team, but they shouldn't risk losing Kessler, as doing such could keep them there for longer.
Utah probably knows this. The issue at hand is that the Jazz shouldn't play games with this one because they have before with some of their promising talent in the past, and they paid dearly for it in the end.
The Gordon Hayward fallout should urge Utah to re-sign Kessler ASAP
Jazz fans know the full extent of the Hayward fiasco by heart. Utah opted not to extend Hayward before his rookie deal expired and instead chose to match any offer sheet he signed the following offseason. Hayward then got them back by not only leaving Utah after becoming a star for Boston but also taking his sweet time so the Jazz would lose all their backup plans in the process.
The Jazz had valid reasons not to go above and beyond extending Hayward. However, while no one knew Hayward would turn into a star, showing him they didn't value him all that much player hurt his feelings badly enough that he did not hesitate to screw them over when he had the chance to.
Utah cannot afford for that situation to play out again. It sends a bad message, no matter who is a restricted free agent. It also makes many wonder what would have been had Hayward stayed to play next to Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
It might be in hindsight, but it is considered among the Jazz's most noteworthy blunders. There's no telling what Kessler's ceiling is, and even if he may not be a future star, he can be an important fixture for the Jazz's future. Plus, he's proven more three years into his NBA career than Hayward did.
The Jazz could let Kessler be a restricted free agent, and they would still control the entire situation. However, they need to show him that they believe in him, and getting that extension worked out immediately does that.
As far as what his price will be, well, that's a whole other story by itself.