The Jazz bet on the future for salary space. Is the Lakers snatch Kessler s opportunity?

The Utah Jazz and Walker Kessler will not reach an early contract renewal, a league source told The Athletic that the move paved the way for the starting center to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Kesler is in his final year of his rookie contract. He is now one of the best young defensive centers and basket protectors in the NBA and is predicted to be the kind of defensive pillars that the team needs to guard the penalty area and have the ability to rush the basket with the ball in this era of space-emphasizing. The Jazz are well aware of this, and according to sources, they expect Kessler to be highly regarded as the cornerstone of the future. He is the only young player that the Jazz have ever won after sending Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert away, and Kessler has proven himself to be a stable starter in the NBA.

So, if Jazz valued Kessler so much, why not renew his contract with him now and sign a five-year contract?

The answer is simple: The Jazz needs to consider financial flexibility, and the NBA is a business after all. , the Jazz hope to get rid of the bottom of the Western Conference as soon as next summer. If Kessler does not renew his contract now, his "cap cap" will be $14.9 million next summer, which will allow the Jazz to still have enough salary space to operate in the free agent market while retaining Kessler's "placement space". After that, in theory, Jazz and Kessler could reach an agreement. Since the Utah Jazz owns Kessler's "Bird Terms", they can extend his contract with him over the salary cap.

If Utah now renews his contract with Kessler early, his cap occupancy will depend on the amount of the new contract, which may reduce the team's flexibility from a financial standpoint.

Currently, there are limited numbers of teams that are expected to have significant cap space. One of them is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have expressed appreciation for Kessler in the past. In this sense, the Jazz may be under pressure to prepare an expected offer for Kessler when the free market opens or nears opening.

According to league sources, Kessler and the Jazz have met several times this summer on a possible contract renewal, and the Jazz have also made a formal offer, but the two sides are far from reaching a real deal. Are there some risks in the current way the Jazz deals with them? It is true, even if this approach makes sense and can help them have greater flexibility next summer.

Kesler is undoubtedly a very good basketball player. At present, the only thing that really limits the performance of this 24-year-old player is insufficient playing time. Last season, he played in 58 games, averaging 30 minutes per game, contributing 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and shooting percentage as high as 66%.

If Kessler's average playing time increases to about 35 minutes, his data may rise, which in turn will increase his market value. It is unclear how big a contract the management led by Austin Angie and Danny Angie is willing to pay for a traditional center, and one of the reasons for the transaction of Gobert was that Danny Angie was unwilling to continue paying his $40 million annual salary.

However, Kessler's current situation is different from Gobert. He was younger and had not yet entered the golden period of his career, while Gobert was at the end of his peak at that time. But the Jazz are looking to try to turn things around, and they are trying to stay as competitive as possible next season. Of course, if they only win 20 games in the end and win the top five picks in the 2026 NBA draft, there may not be many people within the management. The following draft included some high-profile new stars, including University of Kansas freshman Darling Peterson, Duke freshman Cameron Boozer and Brigham Young freshman A.J. Dibansa. By then, Kessler already has as the defensive cornerstone, which will undoubtedly accelerate the team's reconstruction process.

Overall, the Jazz have indeed proved Kessler's worth to them with practical actions. Over the past few years, they have rejected multiple deal proposals about Kessler. They also met Kessler at his Atlanta home this summer to communicate with Kessler and his team about the team’s future financial plans.

Kesler's upcoming restricted free agent status adds some suspense in a season that is expected to be difficult to win. But the Jazz hope that by the time the free market opens next summer, this matter can be solved with the least amount of waves.

(Text/Kong Yang)