Walker Kessler had been on the Los Angeles Lakers' radar well before they pulled off one of the most shocking trades of the offseason. One would have thought the Jazz would have kept Kessler as far as away from one of their rivals as possible, especially as he enters his prime. However, the decision became a lot easier when one specific domino fell: LeBron James' departure.
Utah's reason for why they refused to hand Kessler over to the Lakers was pretty straightforward: they didn't want to make a Western Conference playoff contender turn into a powerhouse. That would have been on the table with LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves or with LeBron, Reaves, and Luka Doncic.
It's common sense to not want to make your competition stronger than you are when you have the same aspirations, but once it became clear LeBron was out of LA, suddenly the decision got a lot easier. Even after adding Kessler, the Lakers have a few questions.
Sure, losing Kessler makes the Jazz worse, but owning the Lakers' future can take care of that problem if it ever becomes one. Adding Kessler solves the Lakers' biggest problem, but, uh, it's not like he takes care of all of their problems.
Because they didn't send him to a team that automatically would have become a title contention with him aboard along with the chance to get potentially super valuable picks for their troubles made the Kessler swap a whole lot easier.
Lakers' options after adding Kessler are limited
It's been a busy offseason for the Lakers. After losing LeBron, they've added Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili while re-signing Austin Reaves. Even after all the roster turnover they've had, it doesn't really feel like the Lakers are back into title contention.
Even worse is that they have a lot of money committed to Luka, Reaves, and Kessler. That's a good foundation on paper, but they are going up against Oklahoma City and San Antonio first and foremost, while other teams like Denver, Minnesota, Houston, Portland, and even Utah will be right there with them.
All things considered, the Lakers going all out for Kessler makes sense because they desperately needed a big. Not to mention rolling with Deandre Ayton again would have made their opponents laugh. Kessler is an excellent piece, but he doesn't cover all of their problems.
Because LeBron's departure opens them to a lot of problems that their offseason additions more likely than not won't solve, this move could wind up looking like a layup for the Jazz in the end.
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