The Lakers used their leverage to finally land Walker Kessler from Jazz

The pressure was on Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka to land an A-list center this offseason.

It was reported that Luka Dončić wanted one. The fans clearly desired it, and with the carousel of starting centers, it was clear the front office had been searching for years.

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Pelinka got his guy, reportedly trading for Walker Kessler. It was expensive, but the Lakers think they got what they paid for: a starting center that fits perfectly with Luka and Austin Reaves.

This trade was far from a foregone conclusion. With Kessler as a restricted free agent, the Jazz could’ve matched any contract agreed upon between the Lakers and Kessler. Utah’s reported offer of a five-year, $140 million extension indicated they wanted to keep their big.

However, the Lakers prepared for this summer. They held onto assets at the February trade deadline, saying no to deals. This allowed them more draft picks and cap space in the offseason to permanently fill holes in their roster.

As Dave McMenamin of ESPN illustrated in his recent story, this set up an opportunity for the Lakers to finally acquire Kessler via a trade.

In the past when the Lakers reached out to the Jazz, Kessler was on a cost-controlled rookie contract, making under $3 million. This time around, Kessler was a restricted free agent — and seeking a massive raise.

The Jazz ultimately decided that building around this year’s No. 2 draft pick, Darryn Peterson, while armed with a bevy of draft assets from L.A. would be a better path than overpaying Kessler over the long term.

Utah offered Kessler a five-year, $140 million extension, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, or about $28 million per year. The Lakers offered a four-year deal worth $130 million, sources told Charania, or about $32.5 million per year, and they emptied their war chest to send their unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks — plus pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 — to Utah in the deal.

In negotiations, whoever has leverage has the advantage.

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With the Lakers holding onto their assets and setting up a situation where they’d have a ton of cap space this summer, they…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-used-leverage-finally-land-192416186.html

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Publish date : 2026-07-02 19:24:00

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