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Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz Urged to Make Controversial Walker Kessler Decision

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Sean Ackerman | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Utah Jazz have slowly developed center Walker Kessler into one of the NBA's premier young rim protectors. After landing in Salt Lake City just over three years ago, the Jazz have given Kessler ample time on the floor to adjust to the professional level.

Despite the Jazz finishing with a league-worst record of 17 wins to 65 losses, Kessler had his best season to date. The now 24-year-old posted 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 58 games started last season, making it the first time he's ever averaged a double-double.

Still, even after a career year, the Jazz have yet to sign Kessler to a contract extension. He'll be entering the final year of a four-year, $13 million rookie deal that's looked like an absolute steal for Utah, considering the production they've received in return.

With contract negotiations ahead, Bleacher Report analyst Dan Favale proposed a simple yet bold idea for the Jazz: hold off on extension talks with Walker until the future.

"Walker Kessler is on track to supplant Myles Turner for the center most off-handedly thrown into the trade-speculation mill. It's not hard to see why," Favale wrote. "Kessler has rated in the 90th percentile or better of rim contests per 75 possessions, rim points saved per 75 possessions and shooting percentage allowed at the rim versus the expected percentage in each of his first three seasons, according to BBall-Index. You know who else has done the same while logging at least 1,000 minutes every year? Nobody."

"The Utah Jazz can put an end to the inevitable midseason lust for Kessler's services by extending him, which greatly diminishes the odds of him being moved, at least until next summer.
Holding off doesn't mean they will trade him or don't want him. They could just value using his smaller cap hold next summer while going about the rest of their offseason business. We are watching in real-time how little leverage restricted free agents usually carve out."

"Still, Utah isn't at a stage in its competitive life cycle where it needs to play these games. Kessler only stands to get more expensive next summer. Rival teams may not give out offer sheets like candy on Halloween, but there will be more cap space floating around in 2026. It makes more sense to lock up Kessler, even if the eventual plan is to move him."

In the original article, Favale is proposing one controversial idea for each team. For the Jazz, not extending Kessler would be about as bad as it gets. Trading him might be an even worse idea.

Kessler has demonstrated annual improvements despite being surrounded by subpar talent. If the Jazz can develop a few other players and provide Kessler with some backcourt support, the team could actually make a move into the playoffs sometime soon.

As Favale mentioned, other teams will only offer more and more money as time goes on. It'd be best for the Jazz to offer Kessler an extension soon, and it seems that they are working toward a big payday soon.