LeBron James is officially leaving the Los Angeles Lakers! That would typically be good news for the Utah Jazz, if not for the fact that it doesn't mean he's not leaving the West. Making it even more concerning is that his departure also means the Lakers have the cap room to chase whoever they want. Someone who makes sense for them is Walker Kessler.
Losing James is a blow for the Lakers, but they can easily make up for it with the cap space they still have, which they can definitely use on Walker Kessler. That doesn't mean they will get him, but they can be the key to giving Kessler what he wants while forcing the Jazz into an uncomfortable situation.
His departure will cause the Lakers to scramble because, even with Luka Doncic and the newly re-signed Austin Reaves, they don't have much to boast about. *Especially* at the big man position.
Acquiring Doncic for Anthony Davis made all the sense in the world, but the void Davis left at the big man position is an elephant in the room that the Lakers can no longer avoid. Hell, the Lakers were trying to get Kessler even before the Luka trad even happened, proving how desperate they were then and how much said desperation has been amplified.
It's really hard to see how Utah wouldn't still match any offer LA would give Kessler, but with the situation playing out like this, it makes it more likely the Lakers could force the Jazz's hand in the one specific way in which they wouldn't want to.
This is the risk of letting Kessler enter restricted free agency
No one's saying Utah did this to themselves, but this is what happens when a team puts off their decision. it is yet to be proven that the Jazz handled this situation wrong here, but this is just how the dominos fall in the offseason.
The Lakers can massively overpay Kessler, which the Jazz wouldn't want to match but may very well have to both to keep him on the team and keep him away from a rival. Utah probably would not have anticipated that's how this would have worked out, and there's no telling if it will, but that's what happens when you go this route.
But we also need to remember that this is all mere speculation. We don't know what the Lakers' next move is. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers are likely to be among the teams meeting with Kessler this summer, but whether that turns into anything is anyone's guess.
It doesn't mean Kessler is out of Utah, but it could mean this actually could get ugly.
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