The Los Angeles Lakers‘ decision to trade for Walker Kessler wasn’t so much controversial given the team’s needs and the preferences of superstar Luka Doncic, but the amount L.A. surrendered for the young center remains a topic of significant debate.
Rob Pelinka, general manager and president of basketball operations for the Lakers, spoke to the team’s decision to ink Kessler to a four-year deal worth $130 million after sending the Utah Jazz two first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 as well as two first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 as part of the sign-and-trade agreement.
For context, L.A. sent Utah more draft capital than the Philadelphia 76ers gave up to the Boston Celtics in return for Jaylen Brown (two first-round picks and two second-round selections).
“At the core of every great Lakers team is a dominant big man,” Pelinka said. “At just 24 years old, Walker Kessler has established himself as one of the elite two-way centers in the game.”
“When the opportunity presented itself to pair a rim-protecting, lob-catching big with our two premier pick-and-roll guards, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, we seized it,” Pelinka continued. “Walker will embody the core pillars we value in our players: high character, high basketball IQ and elite competitiveness as we enter the next era of Lakers basketball.”
Lakers Had Little Choice but to Pay Big for Walker Kessler
GettyWalker Kessler of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The way ESPN’s Tim McMahon framed the Kessler deal in the context of the Lakers’ offseason and their promises/responsibilities to Doncic, Pelinka had little choice but to pay whatever the cost to acquire the former Jazz big man.
On a recent edition of the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, McMahon contended that the Lakers would have faced a fraught and tense situation with Doncic throughout the upcoming season if they had failed to add the rim-running, rim-protecting lob threat Pelinka described above.
McMahon went on to say that Pelinka may have even been considering his own employment when forking over what is a relative king’s ransom to the Jazz in order to secure Kessler. However, by doing so the Lakers have created a Big 3 of Doncic, Reaves and Kessler that will play the upcoming campaign at the ages of 28, 28 and 25, respectively.
Lakers Signed Kevon Looney as Backup Center, Want Jonathan Kuminga to Fill Out Roster
GettyJonathan Kuminga, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks.
Los Angeles recently signed three-time Golden State Warriors champion and former New Orleans Pelicans center Kevon Looney to a veteran’s league minimum contract to serve as the backup center behind Kessler in 2026-27.
That leaves the Lakers with one roster spot remaining, which the team is hoping to fill with Jonathan Kuminga, also a former champ with the Warriors. The Atlanta Hawks declined a team option on Kuminga’s deal this summer, which sent him into unrestricted free agency.
To this point, the Lakers’ best offer has been two years and $20 million total, which Kuminga and his camp have turned down in hopes of something more lucrative coming down the line.
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