Even if the Utah Jazz don't have much, if anything, really, to worry about when it comes to Walker Kessler, there will be some interested parties this summer. A fair amount of Kessler's suitors dropped out at the trade deadline - Indiana and Washington - and another could do the same this summer: the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are likely due for some changes with free agents like Austin Reaves and LeBron James. They have enough money to be in the mix for Kessler, but ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel outlined how they could use their ability to sign and trade James for someone like Jarrett Allen should James, the Lakers, and Cavaliers all be down for it.
"A sign-and-trade for LeBron would undoubtedly involve Jarrett Allen ($28 million), whom the Lakers have targeted previously in trade rumors," Siegel wrote.
Whether or not this becomes a thing is yet to be determined, but this is an intriguing idea for both sides. The Lakers desperately need a big and the Cavaliers are looking for any sort of upgrade after yet another highly disappointing playoff loss.
That's their own business, but if something like this were to happen, that's yet another Kessler suitor that Utah wouldn't have to worry about.
This is more important than you think
It's beating a dead horse at this point to say that the Jazz plan to keep Kessler, but what will really factor into how his restricted free agency resolves itself will be what kind of money he sees. Even if teams know that Utah will match whatever offer sheet Kessler gets, things could get really uncomfortable if Kessler gets franchise-player money, or in the ballpark of $35 to $40 million-plus annually.
Of course the Jazz will match that, but they would rather not have to pay that much to keep him. If fewer teams are bidding for him, that would make it less likely for them to have to pay the kind of money he would want on the open market. Better yet, how much he gets paid could determine whether Utah could keep him on the payroll for the long haul.
The Jazz want all hands on deck for their upcoming playoff run next season, which means they will keep Kessler no matter what. It would work out tremendously if they are able to keep him on a team-friendly discount, though they know that they can't give him an insultingly low-ball offer.
Utah will keep Kessler this summer pending a twist that no one saw coming, but it will work in their favor anytime a potential Kessler suitor opts to go for a different center instead of him. If the Lakers sign-and-trade LeBron for Allen, that's a W for the Jazz, no questions asked!
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