sports
Lakers Acquire Walker Kessler from Jazz for 2031 and 2033 First-Round Picks
The Los Angeles Lakers will receive the 7-foot-2 center and sign him to a four-year, $130 million contract. Utah receives two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps while adding Jaren Jackson Jr. and re-signing Jusuf Nurkic.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 plus first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. Kessler will sign a four-year, $130 million contract that includes a player option for the fourth season and a full trade kicker. He turned down a five-year offer worth roughly $140 million from the Jazz earlier this summer.
The 7-foot-2 Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in the 2024-25 season, leading the NBA with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. Only Victor Wembanyama has posted a higher blocks-per-game average since Kessler entered the league in 2022-23. He appeared in just five games during the 2025-26 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in November.
The move comes after LeBron James informed the team he would play for another franchise next season. Utah traded for Jaren Jackson Jr.
And re-signed Jusuf Nurkic, adding frontcourt depth after failing to retain Kessler.
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CorroborationLimited · 3 sources
