The Utah Jazz traded Walker Kessler, but it came at a high cost to the Los Angeles Lakers. It's not like there aren't questions about the Lakers going forward - which would be good news for the Jazz - but hey, at least they had the courage to pull the trigger. If they hadn't, there would be a lot more questions about them.
You know, like the Golden State Warriors. This offseason has done absolutely nothing to quell the Warriors' concerns. They basically ran back the team that missed the playoffs. Things are looking so bad for them that it's current debateable who will be better this coming season between them and the Jazz.
And it didn't have to be this way if they had pulled the trigger on the Lauri Markkanen deal when they had the chance. Back in 2024, Utah hadn't made Markkanen available per se, but they made it clear that if a team wanted the Finnish star, they would have to pay through the nose to get him.
The Warriors inquired about Markkanen, but came up short because they weren't willing to meet the Jazz's lofty price for Markkanen. Would it have been an overpay? If you think the Lakers did for Kessler, then you'd probably think the same if the Warriors pulled the trigger.
But regardless, it's hard not to think Golden State would be in a better place if they did. Sure, the fallout would be rough a few years down the line, but it would have helped salvage what's left of the Stephen Curry era. Instead, passing on Markkanen ended what may have been Golden State's last chance to stay relevant.
So much would be different if the trade had gone down
The dominos to this one, despite it being only two years ago, would have changed everything. For as valuable as the Lakers assets should and likely will be, the Warriors would have been even better. Markkanen would have helped them at first, but Curry and Draymond Green would have only been able to play at their level for so long before it would have been clear they could have done it.
There's no telling what kind of assets Utah would have gotten from a dying Golden State team. That's probably why the Warriors didn't want to make the deal, but again, Markkanen could have helped them make the most before it all would have come crashing down.
It also goes without saying that the Kessler trade probably never happens. Utah also traded him for cap reasons, which would not have been a problem if Markkanen hadn't been on the payroll.
Utah ultimately got the package they had been hoping for from Golden State two years ago from Los Angeles. No matter how it would have went down, the only team who could have faced potential disaster would have been the Jazz's trade partner, not the Jazz themselves.
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