One of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA is the Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of a center, and that one of their dream options is Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz. The soon-to-be 24-year-old has just about everything the Lakers are looking for in a center, and with him set to enter restricted free agency next summer, the Jazz have opened the door on a trade before having to pay him a major contract.
But the door has only been cracked open by Utah, as they still would love to hold on to the young and talented rim protector. Since the 2024-25 trade deadline, the price on Kessler has remained astronomically high, with the Lakers at no point having the assets required to land him.
The hope for L.A. was that by pushing the conversation to the offseason, perhaps the Jazz would relent and make a deal with fewer assets being returned. But according to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, that does not appear to be the case:
“I’ve just heard nothing but they want two picks plus a young player for Walker Kessler. So the Lakers cannot do that trade. They can give one pick and one young player and a swap. You could throw in a couple swaps. I probably would try to hold off on the later swaps, but I would maybe throw in three swaps like just or and take away the protections on the top four pick in in 2027, but I just don’t know if that’s going to be enough for Utah.”
The Lakers have shifted their pursuit of a center largely from free agency to the trade market — with the exception of Deandre Ayton and Al Horford — in the last 24 hours, after striking out on Brook Lopez and Clint Capela. And while there has been no noise about which specific centers the Lakers are looking at, it has to be assumed that Kessler is on the list considering they have already made offers to Utah.
But, as has been the case for months now, a trade materializing between L.A. and Utah continues to be unlikely with the Jazz’s high price point and the Lakers currently only having one tradable first-round pick. And at this stage in the offseason, there is no reason for them to lower that price.
Lakers still showing interest in Al Horford and Deandre Ayton
While the trade market remains L.A.’s most likely place of landing an impact center for the future, they are still engaged in conversations with free agents Deandre Ayton and Al Horford.
In the coming days, both players are likely to choose their destinations, and at that point, the Lakers can see what they have before continuing down a trade path.
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