East Contender Pursued Trade for Jazz's Walker Kessler at Deadline

Leading up to this year's NBA trade deadline, the Utah Jazz had been made aware of the strong interest from the Los Angeles Lakers for their third-year center Walker Kessler.

Kessler had been making strides in his development during his third-year pro, and as a result, the Lakers wanted to bring him in to address their big man needs.

However, the Lakers weren't the only team in the mix to try and land the budding Jazz big man. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the New York Knicks were next to Los Angeles in trying to convince the Jazz to make a deal for Kessler, though Utah showed no interest.

"Knicks were right there with the Lakers in their determination before deadline to try to convince Utah to engage in meaningful Walker Kessler trade talks. No dice," Stein said. "Jazz made it clear they wanted no part of entertaining Kessler pitches in-season"

Kessler would've been a major addition to New York or Los Angeles in their attempt to upgrade the five spot and likely would've been a significant acquisition for either's championship aspirations. Yet, the Jazz front office holds immense value in Kessler as their center of the future, effectively leading to Utah wanting to part in conducting a deadline deal.

Kessler has cemented his spot in the Jazz's future endeavors. He's spent his third season averaging 11.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on a league-best 72.5% shooting from the field. It's an impressive third-year jump for the 23-year-old, and Utah wants to see more from him.

Perhaps the Jazz could re-enter the trade discussion for Kessler down the road this offseason, but it's hard to see. Kessler is eligible to enter rookie extension talks this summer, and if Utah's front office holds their young big man highly like it seems on the surface, he could be in for some major money in the months down the road.

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