Even though the Utah Jazz have leverage with Walker Kessler, that doesn't mean handling his free agency was going to be easy. The Jazz gave him an offer that they believe is fair, and he believes is low. Hence, it's no surprise that he's testing his market, and the market has proven that he's right.
That could be a problem for Utah. The Athletic's Tony Jones revealed that teams have offered him deals in the high 30s of millions annually.
Utah Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler has had meetings with a couple of teams and is headed to another meeting, league sources tell The Athletic. He holds multiple offers in the mid to high 30’s annually, along with structure of his choice, including player options
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2026
Jones did not elaborate on the length of the deals themselves, but nonetheless, this was the one contingency the Jazz were likely wary of. Even if they think their offer is solid for someone like him, he was right to believe others valued him more, which should make these few days of restricted free agency very captivating for everyone.
Utah will likely still match any offer sheet Kessler signs, but if it's rich enough, it could create problems for their long-term roster construction. Everyone should know that with Kessler, they have excellent roster construction but won't be able to pay all their guys long-term.
If Kessler signs a richer deal than Utah is comfortable with, there will be problems. Not could, but will.
Lakers are among the teams interested in Kessler
Shortly after Jones' report, The Athletic's Dan Woike confirmed the Lakers' interest in Kessler.
One of the teams with interest in Kessler, sources tell me, is the Los Angeles Lakers. https://t.co/FISvj64orN
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 30, 2026
Surprising absolutely no one, the Lakers have even more incentive to bring in Kessler following the announcement that LeBron James will skip town, plus their very dire need for a big man. If there's a player who makes all the sense in the world for them, it's Kessler.
It's already been discussed how they can offer Kessler a super-rich deal that would make the Jazz squirm. While nothing concrete has been reported, this intel suggests that they might just do that.
The Lakers already had enough pressure with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the team for the long haul, but with James gone, they are running low on options for how to improve from there. Overpaying Kessler will have its drawbacks, but they may believe doing so would be worth it if it keeps them in the playoff hunt.
Luckily, Utah was probably aware that this was a possibility, whether the Lakers were one of his suitors or not. Sure, it looks as though this process won't be as smooth as they had hoped, but that may not deter them from keeping Kessler around regardless of what his paycheck will look like.
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