Lakers get disappointing Walker Kessler free agent news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Walker Kessler is considered a dream offseason target for the Los Angeles Lakers, and it isn’t hard to understand why.
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The Auburn product is only 24 years old and is already regarded as one of their most skilled, well-rounded big men in the NBA. Kessler checks off most of the boxes required to be an elite frontcourt weapon, excelling in high- and side-ball screen situations, possessing the touch and length to finish efficiently in the low post, being a dependable rim-runner, and averaging 2 blocks per game.
Landing Kessler in free agency would undoubtedly appease star point guard Luka Doncic, but it may not be feasible based on a recent rumor.
“Kessler’s restricted free agency has been a topic of intrigue around the league since failed extension negotiations in the fall, and after Utah swung a big trade to land another big man,Jaren Jackson Jr., back in February,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps wrote Thursday.
“But given that neither Jackson nor fellow big manLauri Markkanen is a full-time center, Kessler remains an important player in Utah’s path back to contention in the Western Conference. The consensus is that Kessler is signing a new deal with the Jazz in the range of $25 million to $30 million a year.”
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Bontemps’ report isn’t impossible to envision, as the Jazz comprehend they have something special in Kessler. Instead of allowing another franchise to steal him on the free agent market, they’ll likely extend an offer to the 7-foot-2 center that will keep him in Utah for the foreseeable future.
For his career, Kessler is averaging 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, shooting 70.3% from the field in 201 contests (a shoulder injury sidelined him for the final 77 games of the regular season).
The Lakers shouldn’t get their hopes up regarding a potential deal for Kessler this summer.
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