Walker Kessler's name is going to come up a lot for the Utah Jazz this season despite the fact that he's no longer affiliated with the team. He's left quite the impression two games into his Los Angeles Lakers tenure. As luck would have it, Kessler will get to see his old team tomorrow in Utah.
Kessler had nothing but glowing things to say about both Will Hardy and the team itself after the Lakers win over the Clippers last night.
"I'm so excited to compete against those guys. Coach (Will) Hardy does a great job with that franchise, and all my past teammates, they're great players. Really talented, really competitive. So I think it's going to be a great, competitive game, so I'm just excited to go up there and compete."
All of this is to show that there are no hard feelings on Kessler's end, and honestly, there shouldn't be. The Jazz got him what he wanted. He got paid, he got to play for the team he wanted, and even if he didn't necessarily ask for this, it's not like they came away empty-handed.
Kessler will probably be booed upon his return to Utah, but that doesn't negate that this was an amicable split.
At least, for now it is
Kessler definitely changed the dynamic of restricted free agency with the little leverage he had going in. He forced his way to the Lakers, but doing so gave the Jazz some options in case they ever tried to replace him, whether it be this season or down the line.
But where it could get complicated is if Kessler further proves he was exactly what the Lakers needed all along. It's pretty clear two games in that Los Angeles paid up as much as they did not necessarily for Kessler alone. They paid up for how well he could next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and he's proving they were right.
It's still pretty early, so there's no need to panic just yet about the situation, but if the Lakers wind up being in a tier above the Jazz, it's going to be hard not be flustered with Kessler for his role in making that possible.
It wouldn't be all his fault, as Utah mutually chose this path for Kessler, but knowing the alternative of him taking the qualifying offer (which was on the table) and leaving for nothing the following summer, they were short on options.
Utah doesn't have to worry about this for now. If anything, this game against the Lakers is a good litmus test for how good this Jazz team is right now. Beating both Kessler and the Lakers would be a pretty good assurance of the progress the Jazz have already made.
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