There have been no new rumors involving Walker Kessler or the Utah Jazz lately. However, as the season continues to age, teams will grow more desperate to get that secret ingredient for their title team. One team that fits this bill is the New York Knicks.
Look no further than their game against the Jazz the other day. The Jazz kept the Knicks at arm's length for most of the game as they went on to win. For the Jazz, it's inconsequential since they're still one of the NBA's worst teams, but for the Knicks, it's concerning.
They were supposed to take a step forward this season after getting Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they've taken a step back, as they've started out at 9-7. They have time to figure things out, but that's not a promising start since they were slated to be among the East's best.
Kessler, who was rumored to be on the Knicks' radar during the offseason, could be exactly what they need. FanSided's Nicholas Chiarito proposed the following swap between the Jazz and Knicks.
Knicks receive: Kessler
Jazz receive: Mitchell Robinson
Chiarito didn't delve into further detail for why the Jazz would do something like this, and it seems pretty easy to understand why the Knicks would. They need more defensive personnel, and Kessler brings that to them, no questions asked.
Now, obviously, it would take more than that for both sides to complete the trade because Kessler for Robinson straight-up does not work financially. Really, when it comes down to it, a trade like this would be agreed upon on two conditions.
1. The Jazz are absolutely, positively out on Kessler
Kessler's return also played a role in how the Jazz topped the Knicks. His defensive presence factored into how the Jazz truly stymied the Knicks' explosive offense (for everything that's gone wrong for New York thus far, their offense has been awesome).
It's games like those that make it hard to see why the Jazz would give up on Kessler. They know full and well what he's capable of. So, if they agree to a trade with the Knicks, it would only be because they lost faith in him.
Note: don't expect the Jazz to lose faith in him anytime soon.
2. The Knicks either send an ocean of picks or agree to take on Jazz's salary
If the Jazz indeed give up on Kessler, Robinson alone doesn't seem like enough. The Knicks aren't completely deprived of draft assets after the trades they made, so if they're expecting to get Kessler, they also better expect to pay for him.
How many assets they send back will depend on who else gets traded. If the Knicks get Jordan Clarkson back too, they will have to send more assets since Clarkson is adequately paid and should help them on paper.
However, if the Knicks agree to take back John Collins, they may not have to send back as many to the Jazz since Collins is expensive.
It would be a little tricky because a betting man would make a wager that the Knicks don't want to completely disrupt their team makeup for the sake of getting Kessler. Getting Collins may require doing just that.
It's hard to envision the Jazz trading Kessler at all because there's little reason to at the moment. A trade with the Knicks would hinge on the former's faith (or lack of) in the rim protector and the latter's desperation for a rim protector.