End of extension talks put Jazz center firmly on trade block

The Utah Jazz won't be giving Walker Kessler a rookie extension this fall. That means we're headed for a season of trade rumors for the young 7-foot center.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that Kessler and the Jazz "haven't come close to striking a deal" on an extension, meaning that Kessler will head into restricted free agency next summer after his fourth NBA season. That also means Kessler becomes one of the most intriguing big men available for a team that needs size and interior defense.

There are reasons for the Jazz to wait on a Kessler deal. He missed 24 games last season, though the Jazz were resting mostly-healthy players enough that the NBA fined them $100K in March. Kessler only shot 52 percent from the foul line last season, and he rarely shoots from outside the immediate basket area.

The main reason to wait is that Kessler's cap hold is only $14.9M for next season, significantly lower than what a likely Kessler extension would be worth. In effect, that allows the Jazz to use cap space to make other moves while signing Kessler last.

But waiting also allows the team to trade Kessler without running into issues of base-year compensation, which make it complicated to trade a player who recently signed an extension. Kessler makes just $4.9M this season, which means even teams that don't have much salary flexibility can still fit in his deal. The risk is that another team gives Kessler a massive offer sheet next summer and the Jazz lose him.

There should be a vibrant market for Kessler. He's averaged 2.4 blocks for his NBA career, finishing second in blocks per game the last two seasons. He also doesn't foul much, logging only 2.2 personal fouls in 30 minutes per game. Last season, he increased his scoring from 8.1 points per game to 11.1 and his rebounds from 7.5 rebounds to 12.2 per game and had a 25-rebound game with eight blocks late in the season.