When the Los Angeles Lakers opted to trade for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets, the expectation was this deal would be a precursor to more moves. One highly anticipated target is Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who is on a rookie contract and would fit perfectly in L.A.
For several months now, the Lakers’ frontcourt depth has been lacking, with Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood all missing time. Outside of Anthony Davis, head coach JJ Redick has relied on Christian Koloko for center minutes while often opting to play small.
Regardless of health, the center position is a need, particularly a bigger body than Hayes and Wood. Kessler fits that bill and has been linked to the Lakers for a while now, but it looks like Utah is not going to move him ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
While teams have expressed interest in Utah center Walker Kessler — the Lakers included — the belief in NBA circles is that he’s not available in any realistic trade scenarios, Utah electing to keep one of the NBA’s top rim protectors through the deadline.
Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has previously traded with general manager Rob Pelinka so there is familiarity there. But for the Jazz, it may not make sense to give the Lakers a young, high-quality big man when they possess their 2027 first-round pick.
Granted, it is top-4 protected, but Kessler would be a future piece for L.A. to keep them somewhat relevant as they eventually navigate life after LeBron James. However, this does not mean that things can’t change between now and the deadline.
If the Lakers were to get rid of the protections on the 2027 pick and add another first in 2029, then perhaps the Jazz will be willing to come to the table.
But regardless, from Pelinka’s perspective, he can sell himself on not getting a center by having Hayes back, Wood potentially returning soon and Koloko playing well in limited minutes. Other skill sets in need are a point-of-attack guard and potentially another 3-and-D wing to further solidify their defensive identity.
Lakers desire to acquire speed & athleticism over center
With Walker Kessler presumably off the board, general manager Rob Pelinka could check in on other players as the trade deadline approaches. As the Lakers still possess both of their first-round picks, they could make another move or two.
It looks like the Lakers have a desire to acquire more speed and athleticism over a big man with their guard room taking a hit by trading D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent sidelined.
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