Like Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz are not, repeat, NOT, openly shopping Walker Kessler. The Jazz would only consider it if they got an offer they couldn't refuse. One team that has wanted Kessler dating back for almost a whole year now is the Los Angeles Lakers, and while it would seem ridiculous to think the Jazz would trade with them, Tony Jones outlined how it could play out.
Jones revealed that because the Jazz have no franchise-altering players, he floated the idea of one player in particular who could fit that description, who would also signal the Jazz's intentions to trade Kessler.
"You possibly draft Khaman Maluach from Duke, right? 18 years old, and he plays the same position as Walker Kessler. What does that do for the Jazz? What that does is, it resets the timeline because you can draft Maluach, who's 18 years old, and you can say, 'You know what? Hey, Walker Kessler. We know that the Lakers will give us a haul for you, and we'll possibly trade you to the Los Angeles Lakers. Reset the timeline. Restart the timeline altogether."
Before anyone takes this out of context, Jones also put a very noteworthy disclaimer in this scenario after laying it out.
"I've gotta say this again. This is not reporting. This is just Tony Jones, me, just kind of spitballing here."
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The Lakers have continuously inquired about Kessler for a year give or take and as recently as the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Their need for a center has only amplified since they acquired Luka Doncic as it came at the cost of Anthony Davis.
Kessler is undoubtedly the most talented youngster the Jazz have acquired in the past three years, but he is not exactly young, as he'll be 25 next month. Utah would only draft Maluach if they thought 1. he's a franchise player in the making and 2. he's 100% better than Kessler will ever be.
That is a high bar for Maluach to clear. If they draft him, it would signal that Utah would give Kessler away. If the Lakers came calling again, the Jazz would stop at nothing to own the Lakers' future.
The Jazz would have all the leverage on the Lakers
Kessler is good enough to be ready to play for a playoff contender like the Lakers. In fact, he probably would solve a lot of their problems by himself. The Jazz would know this, and that's why they would make it abundantly clear that the Lakers would have to give up their future for him.
Utah already owns the Lakers' top-four protected 2027 first-round pick. The Jazz would set the price at basically owning LA's entire future indefinitely. They know how desperate they are from their limited window with LeBron James and Luka Doncic to capitalize, so that is the bar, and there's no reason to compromise.
His rookie deal makes Kessler more appealing to the Lakers, which is now a more treasured asset than ever. That's also why the Jazz will not be easy on them in negotiations. The fact that the Lakers can get his production for cheap and the Jazz can just extend would only add more urgency.
Now, even with all of this out there, it's hard to see the Jazz going this route. They have no reason to do this unless, on top of getting a haul for Kessler, they truly believe they're better off without him. After the season he just had, it's hard to see why they would even consider it.
Like Jones said, it's just a hypothetical. If Utah was selling Kessler off, and there's no reason to believe they are, the Lakers are definitely one of the teams that would give them the monster package the Jazz would want.