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In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the promising big man has dismissed speculations from recent reports, claiming that he wants nothing but to remain in Salt Lake City and continue playing for the Jazz. “I’ve seen what’s being said, and I want it to be clear that I’ve always wanted to be here," Walker Kessler wrote in his caption. "I love this city, these fans, my teammates and coaches. This is real to me, roots don’t grow where you don’t want to be.” Kessler’s IG post, featuring several images of him engaged with his Utah team and community, already drew thousands of reactions.
There are several restricted free agents the Lakers have already done their due diligence on, sources familiar with the team's thinking told ESPN. Two of them, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, would satisfy Doncic's directive to secure an A-list center. Two others, Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets and Tari Eason of the Rockets, are the type of 3-and-D archetypes who any team needs in order to succeed in the modern NBA.
Tim MacMahon: The Jazz are determined to keep Walker Kessler. Now, there is a gulf between the Jazz front office and Walker Kessler's camp in terms of his value. The Jazz have put it off on the table for five years and roughly $140 million. Walker Kessler's representation believes his value is significantly higher than that. There were discussions with the Indiana Pacers before they traded for Zubac about trading for Kessler, giving up two first-round picks and signing him to a deal that would have been north of that. The Jazz have also been very firm: They want a five-year deal, they want a five-year commitment. Kessler is a restricted free agent. The Jazz would have the right to match any offer that he received in restricted free agency, and they're using that leverage. These are tense negotiations.
A gulf remains between restricted free agent center Walker Kessler and the Jazz after Utah put an offer worth roughly $140 million over five years on the table, sources told ESPN. It would be the largest contract ever given to a center who had yet to be an All-Star. The Jazz have the right to match any offer sheet that Kessler signs as a restricted free agent.
According to Tim MacMahon on Utah ESPN 700 Radio, Walker Kessler has received an offer from the Utah Jazz for a 5-year, $ 140 M deal, but apparently it wasn’t enough. MacMahon was asked if he thinks that Kessler wants to play in Utah, and he responded: “… for more than 5 years, $140M.” It also sounds like there are some real frustrations with how the Jazz have gone about his contract situation. Apparently, the Jazz feel that they can have any hurt feelings improve over time once the contract is signed.
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Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler is at odds with the team’s front office over the current handling of his restricted free agency, league sources told The Athletic. Kessler, the 24-year-old who was taken 22nd overall by the Jazz out of Auburn in 2022, was already known to be frustrated by Utah’s choice not to offer him an extension last summer. And now, with the Jazz choosing to leverage the realities of restricted free agency against him as a way to minimize his market, sources say he is strongly considering the prospect of a basketball future outside of Utah.
League sources say Kessler, meanwhile, has long wanted to remain in Utah but is extremely disappointed with the way his situation is being handled. What’s more, there has long been an expectation that he would be a long-term priority, and part of the solution, after the Jazz spent recent years in rebuilding mode under the direction of owner Ryan Smith.
The expectation around the league is that the Utah Jazz will match any offer sheet Walker Kessler receives, and executives hold a similar view regarding Detroit and Jalen Duren. Another restricted free agent center at least worth monitoring is Mark Williams in Phoenix (yeah, the guy the Lakers traded for before rescinding the deal). But it’s only logical to wonder why the Suns would give up assets to acquire Williams only to let him walk a season later.
Sam Amick: "Now the Wembanyama effect to your question is I actually think it has a domino effect on the Giannis sweepstakes this summer, where there's only so many guys in the league that can give you a puncher's chance at slowing Wembanyama down. You look at the Thunder, they got a guy in Chet Holmgren who at first glance looks like tailor-made to give him some pushback, and he's obviously had a really hard time in this series. So the impact is even beyond getting a guy like that, it's loading up on bigs. I had one of the executives talk about the Jazz, who I know are certainly not contending at this point, but how they're looking to re-sign Walker Kessler, they did the trade for Jaren Jackson Jr., already got Lauri Markkanen, and that sort of approach. The Thunder adding Hartenstein last year, it's that kind of thing where you're going to need big bodies, but it's not like the Shaq old days when you just needed as much heft as possible. You got to have guys who can play three-four positions and be versatile and keep up with this 7-4 alien."
But given that neither Jackson nor fellow big man Lauri Markkanen is a full-time center, Kessler remains an important player in Utah's path back to contention in the Western Conference. The consensus is that Kessler is signing a new deal with the Jazz in the range of $25 million to $30 million a year. "It appears Utah is gearing up to keep him," an East scout said. "I don't see an obvious fit in free agency for someone to try to get him. They're going to be in an interesting spot next season, and I'm excited to see how they navigate all of it."
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There is an anticipation that Mark Williams, like Detroit's Jalen Duren and Utah's Walker Kessler, will attempt to generate interest from Chicago in restricted free agency since the Bulls are projected to wield some $65 million in salary cap space. Projecting the Bulls' offseason intentions with certitude will naturally be easier once they've installed a new head of basketball operations, but Chicago's lack of a proven center on the current roster is undeniable.
Numerous contacts with rival teams have suggested to me that the Pacers traded away too much for Zubac and could have waited until the summer to see what other options would have presented themselves, but I continue to hear that Utah is determined to retain restricted free agent-to-be Walker Kessler. The Pacers have long coveted Kessler, sources say, but I would counter the skeptics and say that there is tangible wisdom to Indiana getting its frontcourt business done now if its other preferred target is not likely to be available.
Chris Haynes: Sources: Indiana Pacers made a run at Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and offered a package highlighted by two unprotected first-round picks. It was declined and Pacers pivoted to Zubac. Kessler will be in demand as a restricted free agent this summer.
