Utah Jazz Could Hold Off on Walker Kessler Extension

Just under a month away from the NBA regular season tipping off, the Utah Jazz and center Walker Kessler have yet to agree to a rookie extension rolling into what will be his final year of his first contract.

Up to this point, there's been a bit of a general expectation that the Jazz will inevitably get that deal with Kessler done before the season starts. Kessler's an integral piece of Utah's rebuilding efforts moving forward, and of course, he looks to be a long-term piece in the frontcourt for years to come.

However, despite that, the Jazz could actually wind up holding off on an extension for Kessler ahead of the regular season starting next month, ultimately letting him hit restricted free agency come next summer.

Jazz radio host and NBA insider David Locke recently discussed the current landscape of a Kessler extension happening this summer, noting he would be "surprised" if the two sides got a deal done before next season.

"I would be surprised if the Jazz and Walker Kessler get a deal done," Locke said on a recent episode of Locked On Jazz. "The market value for where centers are kind of X. Walker's gonna ask, I think, for more than that, at Y or even Z. And there's no real incentive for the Jazz to get that deal done."

"One, it takes away cap space for the future. And two, we're kind of watching what's happening with restricted free agency with Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga. It's not a great landscape for a player to be in restricted free agency, as though you're going to suddenly lose them.
You're going to sign them anyway."

The concept makes sense from the Jazz's perspective. Rather than locking in that hefty multi-year contract for Kessler early, Utah can wait one more summer to get the wheels moving forward on that eventual agreement, keep cap space flexible, and ink their young big man onto a new contract, but in 2026 rather than 2025.