The Los Angeles Lakers are fully committed to building around Luka Doncic with the departure of LeBron James in free agency. Doncic has been clamoring for the team to add a young, talented center, and the Lakers delivered Wednesday afternoon with an incredibly bold deal that mortgages four years of draft control for an effective if oft-injured big man.
The Lakers acquired Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in exchange for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round trades in 2028 and 2030. according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Kessler, who was a restricted free agent, agreed to a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers that includes a player option next season.
This is an impressive price to pay for a great man at first glance. The Lakers now have a defensive anchor to play alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, while the Jazz regained a huge amount of future draft capital to continue their rebuild. Let’s qualify this agreement for both parties.
Lakers qualify for Walker Kessler trade
Kessler is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA when healthy. He just hasn’t been healthy very often. Kessler only played in five games last season while recovering from a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He only reached the 65-game NBA threshold to be eligible for awards once in his four-year career, and that was as a rookie. Utah’s antics contributed to Kessler missing games, but he will need to stay on the court and play at an elite level for this deal to work for the Lakers.
Kessler has two main strengths as a player: rebounding and blocking shots. He is averaging 4.5 blocks per 100 possessions in his career, an elite number. He also led the NBA in offensive rebounding rate in the 2024-25 season, when he posted an incredible 16.6 percent off-the-board rebound rate in 58 games. He is also a fantastic defensive rebounder, contributing to his reputation as one of the best defensive bigs in the game.
Kessler’s offense is a much bigger issue than generating additional possessions on the glass. He is a total non-shooter from three-point range with 17 3-pointers in 201 career games, however, he made six 3-pointers in five games last season before the injury. He is a career 54 percent free throw shooter, making him one of the worst in the NBA from the foul line. He can finish dunks and kicks inside, and that’s it. He also hasn’t added much value as a passer throughout his career.
This is the Lakers’ great turn to build a championship team around Luka. Los Angeles obviously needed a strong defensive center to pair with two weak defenders in Doncic and Reaves, and they paid a huge price to get one. Usually a trade like this returns a superstar. Instead, the Lakers acquired someone who fits the team well but doesn’t have the production typically associated with this type of trade.
Big men are getting big deals across the NBA this summer, and Kessler’s is the most jarring yet. The four-year, $130 million deal seems fair for both sides. What is surprising is the amount of capital spent to achieve it.
In my opinion, the Lakers paid too much. It could work for them because Kessler is very good at protecting the rim and cleaning the glass if he stays healthy, but it’s hard to see how this elevates Los Angeles into championship contention, and they don’t have many resources left to continue building the team.
Jazz Grade for Walker Kessler Exchange
Talk about a high sales operation. It’s surprising that the Jazz were able to get this kind of return for Kessler after he only played in five games last season. He’s not an elite center in my opinion, but the Jazz certainly regained his elite value.
Utah is very well prepared for the future now. They have second overall draft pick Darryn Peterson as their new franchise star alongside Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George and Ace Bailey. I honestly don’t think losing Kessler will make Utah much worse for next season, given all the depth in their frontcourt. They now have assets to continue building the team while Peterson reaches his prime.
This is a surprising move for the Jazz. They robbed the Lakers blind. If Peterson reaches his ceiling, Utah will be primed to be a Western Conference contender for years to come. Their rise should begin this season with what looks like at least an entry-level team.
