Jason Burgos
Heading into the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers had multiple things on their to-do list. One of them was bolstering their front court with a true difference maker. Well, on Wednesday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that they landed the player they had at the top of their offseason target list, restricted free agent Walker Kessler. However, it wasn’t a straight-up addition via free agency.
With the Utah Jazz having the chance to match any offer for the four-year veteran, the Lakers have agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that sends Utah unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030. Furthermore, LA is giving Kessler a four-year contract worth $130 million.
Let’s look at the biggest winners and losers from Wednesday’s blockbuster trade.
Winner: Walker Kessler
Kessler will leave Utah to earn over $30 million a season to play in one of the biggest sports markets in the world. Obviously, he is the biggest winner. It is a massive payday for an old-school center with a limited offensive game. However, upgrading that spot was a top priority for the Lakers this summer. And after getting some extra money following LeBron James’ departure, they chose to spend big to achieve that goal.
Loser: Los Angeles Lakers
Yes, the Lakers upgraded the center spot. But Kessler is still a player who’s averaged nine points and nine rebounds over his four-year career. There is no doubt he is a top-notch interior defender, rim protector, rebounder, and the lob threat Luka Doncic wanted. But there is no reason to expect him to take major leaps in his game.
At his best, he can grab 12 boards and post 2.5 blocks a night and maybe 14 points a night. And that is at his absolute best. Is that worth over $30 million a year and worth giving two first-round picks the Lakers held on tight to for a couple of years? Probably not.
Winner: Utah Jazz
The Jazz claimed for months that they would match any offer for Kessler. But chances are it was a bluff to scare a team into giving them draft assets in a sign-and-trade. Mission accomplished. It would not have made much sense for the Jazz to invest even more money in a frontcourt that features expensive deals for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.
Instead, they scared LA into giving them two first-round picks and a couple of valuable swaps. Sure, they lost a good player, but Utah will still be better next season, and now has even more draft assets to trade if they want.
Winner: Luka Doncic
Reports have claimed for a while that Doncic has pushed Lakers management to get him a center upgrade who can serve as a lob threat. The Lakers did that on Wednesday. The team’s undisputed top star, with James now gone, should be very pleased with the new addition.
Loser: Deandre Ayton
To the surprise of many, Deandre Ayton opted into the final year of his deal instead of testing his value in free agency. He probably thought he would be starting in LA again this season. Now he is locked into a backup role as the 2018 No. 1 overall pick’s career continues to go backward.
Winner: Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons will be very happy about the Lakers signing Kessler. Now, it means a viable threat to them, for Jalen Duren is off the board. Detroit’s chances of re-signing their homegrown All-Star just got a lot better after Wednesday’s news.
