Even though NBA free agency isn't for another month, it's never too early to discuss what's to come with the Utah Jazz and Walker Kessler's upcoming free agency. There should be some competitors for Kessler's services, but all signs point to him being back with the Jazz. The latest intel on his price tag demonstrates that Utah played this perfectly from start to finish.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps revealed what contract Kessler is expected to sign in the offseason, writing, "The consensus is that Kessler is signing a new deal with the Jazz in the range of $25 million to $30 million a year."
That's not an overpay, nor an underpay. It is adequately paying for someone who is a starting center in this league, but not necessarily a star. Utah already had a pretty big advantage with his restricted free agency anyway, but the fact that this is his price tag until further notice shows that they played this situation correctly.
Kessler might not like that he may have no choice but to settle for a deal like this, but unfortunately, the situation more or less forced Utah to take this route, and that decision only aged like wine over time.
Doing this kept Utah's cap space and also killed Kessler's market
Utah opted not to extend Kessler, not because they don't see his worth, but because the one loophole any team would (and has) exploit is waiting to use their cap space before re-signing restricted free agents. If they had re-signed Kessler, that wouldn't have been an option.
And that decision only looked better once potential options for Kessler this summer started dropping out. There are a fair amount of quality centers in the NBA who, by virtue of not being a restricted free agent, are easier to acquire.
Because it's easier to trade for a center instead of bidding for one on the open market, more teams chose the former route. Before you knew it, Kessler's options were dwindling. Sure, someone could offer him a boatload, but again, he's not a star, so no one's backing up a brinks truck for him, and even if someone offered solid money, the Jazz would match.
It may take no time at all for Kessler to prove that he'll be on one of the NBA's most team-friendly deals next season, but that's more good news for the Jazz than it is for him. So it's basically not in question that he will be back.
What is in question is how long he will extend for.
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