The Los Angeles Lakers have finalized a sign-and-trade deal for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, sending unprotected first-round selections in 2031 and 2033 plus first-round swap rights in 2028 and 2030 to Utah, the team announced.
As part of the agreement, the 24-year-old big man is signing a four-year contract worth $130 million with the Lakers. The deal features a player option for the fourth season and a full trade kicker.
Pelinka: “Dominant big man” anchors new era
“At the core of every great Lakers team is a dominant big man,” president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in the statement. He called Kessler “one of the elite two-way centers in the game” and highlighted the opportunity to pair him with pick-and-roll guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Kessler’s résumé
Selected 22nd overall out of Auburn in the 2022 NBA Draft, Kessler reached Utah through the Rudy Gobert trade and spent four seasons with the Jazz. Over 201 career games (125 starts), he has averaged 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 68.1 percent from the field.
His most recent full campaign, 2024-25, produced 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 30 minutes per game across 58 appearances. Before a season-ending shoulder injury last year, he opened with 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 70.3 percent shooting in five games, even connecting on six of eight three-point attempts.
Fit alongside Doncic and Reaves
Los Angeles believes Kessler’s rim protection, rebounding and screening will complement Doncic and Reaves, who are expected to drive the offense. Kessler will wear No. 14 as the franchise moves into a new phase built around its young core. Recent additions also include Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy and Kevon Looney.
The Jazz, holding Kessler’s restricted free-agent rights, agreed to the trade after the Lakers offered what Pelinka described as an “irresistible” package of draft assets.
Source: LakersNation.com
