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Jan 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) shoots an open jump shot during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Analyzing Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz Extension Situation

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Alex White | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Walker Kessler established himself as a key piece of the Utah Jazz core going forward with his play last season. As a member of the 2022 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old is extension eligible this summer. While several of his peers have already signed long-term contracts with their teams, things have been quiet regarding Kessler.

This is not abnormal though. The stars of the class, ie. Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, and Chet Holmgren, tend to get their deals done first, which they all have. Thus far, the only other player that's been signed was the third overall pick in that class, Jabari Smith Jr.

That leaves Kessler in a group with those like Dyson Daniels, Keegan Murray, Jalen Duren, and Christian Braun, all valuable players who should be priorities for their team. Though things are quiet now, these discussions should intensify as we approach the October 21st deadline. How aggressive should the Jazz be in securing their defensive anchor?

The Benefit of Waiting

The Jazz are in a bit of a unique situation right now. They’ve torn the team down to the ground and have been rebuilding through the draft, however, next summer, they could be in a position to expedite this slow process. One avenue they could do so is with cap space.

The Jazz are projected to have north of $40 million in cap space next year, enough that they could chase an impact free agent (or two) or dip into their asset chest and trade for a player without having to send back matching salary.

A play-finisher like Walker Kessler is a luxury to have around for guys like Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier

Super impressive catch radius around the rim, and it feels like Walk is always in the right spot pic.twitter.com/XjWpv01Oam
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) August 10, 2025

Kessler is important to this plan because not only is he ready to contribute to winning now, but by waiting until next summer to sign an extension, the Jazz can keep his salary on the books for a little over $14.6 million, a number far lower than his value.

If he were to sign an extension this summer, it would certainly cut into Utah’s cap space next summer. They would still have a good chunk of money to use and free agency has dried up in recent years, but, from a purely financial point of view, waiting until next summer to take care of Kessler provides the most flexibility for the Jazz.

The Case for Now

Kessler is already one of the best rim protectors in the entire NBA. He’s young and has become a key part of this Jazz foundation. When you get a player like that, tying them to the franchise for the foreseeable future is smart.

I think with Kessler, it’s going to come down to a price point that he’s happy with, but provides the organization with plenty of flexibility to build a sustainable winner.

Notable Deals

There have been several deals for centers in recent years that could give us a good bar for what Kessler’s next deal could look like. Jarrett Allen got just over $30 million per season about a year ago. The Raptors awarded Jakob Poeltl a new deal worth about $28 million per season. Myles Turner got lured away to Milwaukee for around $27 million per season.

While the former two are closer to his archetype as a player, these three deals give us a pretty clear price point for Kessler and the Jazz to aim for.

Verdict

If the Jazz can get an agreement for something on the low end of this range over five seasons, they should lock down their defensive anchor. With the new CBA, where every dollar matters, I can see them waiting until next summer to come to an agreement; however, I expect Kessler to be wearing a Jazz jersey for a long time.