Walker Kessler is pretty clearly a priority target for the Lakers, but should he be?
With the need for a center being the big, looming question over the summer for the Lakers, we’ll be taking a look at a number of potential targets, both via free agency or trade. Today, we continue with Jazz big man Walker Kessler.
The Lakers basketball-lusting over Walker Kessler is well known. Even before the team traded for Luka Dončić, their interest in the young Jazz big man was common knowledge to anyone following general NBA reporting, but after swapping Anthony Davis for their newest superstar, that interest has been even more established with his name at or near the top of any short list of most desirable bigs they’d love to acquire.
New rumors citing the Lakers’ ongoing interest in and pursuit of Kessler are front and center today, but the truth is these reports are nothing new and will remain in place perpetually — or at least until Kessler is either officially off the market or so ungettable it would be silly to even bring him up.
For now, though, the Lakers are seemingly operating as if that is not the case. So, regardless of how well it’s worked to this point, they will keep trying to get their guy.
One question rarely asked, though, is should they actually be?
How would he fit with the Lakers?
Offensively, Kessler does nearly everything you’d want from a big flanking Luka, to say nothing of LeBron and Austin Reaves.
He is a wonderful screen setter, using his massive frame and good technique to spring his teammates free, whether in the pick and roll or via off-ball actions. He’s a good roll man, offering a huge catch radius and good hands to make himself an excellent target.
Also, because of his size and the fact that he’s a good enough leaper, he’s not only an excellent lob threat for easy finishes above the rim, but also coordinated enough to catch high arcing passes, land and then finish around the cup with either hand when the dunk isn’t there.
He’s also one of the league’s best offensive rebounders, which matters not only in his individual matchups against other bigs, but when cross matched via the types of switches teams often throw at the Lakers in order to not have to play in coverage against Luka, LeBron and Austin when they run ball screens.
On the other end of the floor, Kessler is not the most versatile defender, mostly being limited to playing at or below the level in ball screens and showing his most comfort in a deep drop coverage that plants him near the paint. That said, within these alignments, he’s an elite rim protector who not only swats away attempts at the rim but can be a deterrent from paint shots even being attempted in the first place, whether in the pick and roll or when showing help from the weakside.
His size also lends itself well to defending the post and he can capably hold up in isolation against some of the game’s best bigs down on the block. His ability to defend them further out on the floor is a mixed bag, however, as his comfort level is highest in and around the paint. That said, being able to play against some of the better bigs in the league without having to double on every possession does open up more options defensively, something the Lakers were not as able to do once AD was in Dallas.
How much would the Lakers have to give up?
More than they’d like to and certainly more than has been offered to this point, clearly. Remember, the Lakers attempts to snare Kessler from the Jazz have been going on for months now. If a deal was offered that was good enough, this article wouldn’t exist.
I think the more pertinent question is whether the Lakers have any asset with enough value to pry Kessler away. And that answer may just be no.
Sure, maybe if the Lakers put Austin Reaves into the deal, they could get some traction. But knowing Danny Ainge, even getting Rob Pelinka to put Reaves on the table wouldn’t be enough to fully quench Utah’s thirst for assets, likely requiring draft compensation to still be included or to build out a much bigger deal than the Lakers might either want or feel comfortable with once all the pieces are on the table.
How realistic of a target is he?
After the Lakers got Dončić, “realistic” isn’t a word fans put much stock in when it comes to trades. That said, I’d argue that Kessler isn’t that viable a target unless the trade is much bigger than the types of one- or two-for-one deals the team could make for big men like Robert Williams or Nic Claxton.
Kessler makes just just under $5 million next season, meaning the best way to match salary is with a player (or players) also still on a rookie contract who is equally valuable to the Jazz as Kessler.
The Lakers, however, don’t have many of either of those. On the contract front, they only have Dalton Knecht, who is a good young prospect, but is not as valuable to the Jazz as Kessler is. The Lakers also only have one tradable first round pick to put into a deal, making it harder to throw in the type draft capital to sweeten the offer.
The Lakers best option, then, might be to trade someone of higher salary who is better than Knecht, but making deals bigger often means making them more complicated, which also makes them less likely to happen.
With that, it’s fair to wonder if they should be putting forth much effort at all to acquire him in the first place. He is an excellent fit and checks a lot of boxes, but if the likelihood of actually getting him is as low as it seems, it’s arguable those time and resources would be better spent on more attainable goals.
Then again, you try telling that to the front office that just traded for Luka…
You can follow Darius on BlueSky at @forumbluegold.