Even though there have been whispers of a disconnect between Walker Kessler and the Utah Jazz regarding how much they should give him on his next deal, the last we checked, the Jazz still plan to keep him. However, nothing is guaranteed until the minute Kessler's extension becomes official. If the Jazz really considered trading him, a team like the Indiana Pacers make sense.
The Pacers have been named as a Kessler destination, and there could be a scenario in which the two sides could figure out a deal. However, the Jazz wouldn't give him up for free. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley proposed a trade between the Jazz and the Pacers that would do just that.
He outlined the following trade between the two sides.
Pacers get: Kessler and Cody Williams
Jazz get: Bennedict Mathurin
Buckley explained why the two sides would agree to a deal.
"If the Jazz want to help Markkanen, they could certainly get a lot more of it from Mathurin (averaging 20.4 points on 45.1/42.2/83.7 shooting) than Kessler (out for season; shoulder surgery) and Williams (non-rotation player). The Pacers, conversely, might see Kessler as the answer to their center search and prefer to sidestep Mathurin's upcoming restricted free agency," Buckley wrote.
The rationale from the Pacers' end makes sense, but if the Jazz would really be willing to give up someone like Kessler, an elite rim protector and rebounder, would they do it for a scoring wing when they already have that on the roster with Ace Bailey?
A Kessler trade to Indiana makes logical sense. Still, the Pacers would have to give up a lot more than Mathurin to make a deal, as they'd basically get complete control over a rare commodity like Kessler, especially if they don't want to deal with Mathurin's restricted free agency anyway.
The Jazz would want a haul from the Pacers
Because Kessler isn't easily replaceable, Utah wouldn't give him up for one player whose role would already be pretty much filled by Bailey. The Pacers wouldn't want just a motherload of assets, but instead golden assets.
The Pacers could offer that. They are one of the NBA's worst teams this season because of how undermanned they are. However, the only way the Jazz would make a deal for Kessler is if they offer a high lottery pick for him, and the Pacers likely wouldn't be willing to give that up for him.
The only way the two sides could make a deal is if they can find a middle ground. Mathurin would be too little for Kessler while a high lottery pick in 2026 would be too much. The tricky aspect is figuring out what the middle ground would be.