The Los Angeles Lakers are aggressively canvassing the NBA trade market this season to improve the roster not just for this season but for years to come under new head coach JJ Redick. A potential trade target for the Lakers has been the Utah Jazz, as third-year center Walker Kessler has been a target for the purple and gold franchise for a few months.
Jazz GM Danny Ainge doesn’t want to give the Lakers a 23-year-old center like Kessler according to Anthony Irwin because it improves the Lakers’ future outlook greatly. This would work against the Jazz who own the Lakers 2027 first-round pick.
“Sources say the Lakers and Jazz got fairly close to a deal over the summer, but talks this year have been pretty inconsistent. One issue Utah has pointed to is that sending Kessler to pair with Davis would improve the Lakers front court not just this year, but, importantly, moving forward.”
“Utah holds the Lakers’ ’27 first, top-four protected pick. Danny Ainge has expressed concern that Kessler would stop the Lakers from fully bottoming out as Davis ages and after LeBron James retires.”
Kessler is averaging 10.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks this season, proving his value as a defense-first center with an inability to be impactful offensively, which is why the Jazz have toyed with the idea of trading the young star away.
It seems the Jazz would rather send Kessler to some other team looking for a big man, preferably a franchise whose future picks aren’t earmarked for the Jazz.
While the Lakers could keep their pick in 2027 if they’re bad enough to be a bottom-three team in the NBA, they would still be reliant on the NBA’s Draft Lottery. This could lead to them conveying the fifth pick as LeBron James is expected to retire and Davis will be 34 years old.
Kessler would be a great fit next to Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, with Davis wanting to play with another elite big man to reduce his defensive responsibilities in the paint and helping him return to playing power forward full-time for the Lakers, something he hasn’t done since 2020-21.
The Lakers could also target guards like Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, but it doesn’t look like the Jazz will make acquiring either of them or Kessler easy, likely wanting the franchise to pay a big price.
Lakers Targeting Multiple Centers
Kessler might be the best-case scenario for the Lakers when it comes to acquiring a center, but the franchise is targeting other useful role-players in the position.
“Lakers sources say they’ve held internal conversations about Robert Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers, Nick Richards of the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe, and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.”
The Lakers were also heavily linked to Jonas Valanciunas, but the potential of a trade seems to have died down in recent weeks with the Lakers looking for younger stars to ensure the franchise’s competitive future.
It seems landing a center will be the Lakers’ goal this winter, with new acquisition Dorian Finney-Smith being a forward who could play minutes as a small-ball center.
He doesn’t reduce the rim-protecting load that Davis has, so adding another center and using Finney-Smith as a 3-and-D weapon off the bench might be the best way forward for them.
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