DHJ Quick Take: Lakers Acquire Walker Kessler in Four-Year, $130 Million Sign-and-Trade
The Los Angeles Lakers are landing center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz, sending two unprotected first-round picks and two swaps to Utah while signing Kessler to a four-year, $130 million deal.
- What did the Lakers give up? Los Angeles is sending unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks plus 2028 and 2030 swap rights to Utah.
- Who is Walker Kessler? He is a 7-foot-2, 24-year-old center who led the NBA in blocks per game in 2024-25 before shoulder surgery ended his 2025-26 season after 5 starts.
- Why does the move matter? It gives the Lakers a long-term rim protector and lob threat at center to build around Luka Dončić.
- What’s next? The deal can be completed once the moratorium lifts, and Dallas Hoops Journal has reported the Lakers remain active on additional targets, including Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes.
The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade, Dallas Hoops Journal has learned. Kessler will sign a four-year, $130 million contract with Los Angeles as part of the deal.
In exchange, Utah receives unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 along with first-round swap rights in 2028 and 2030. The Lakers met with Kessler on the opening day of free agency and expressed strong interest in the 24-year-old, according to Dallas Hoops Journal sources.
Kessler entered the offseason as a restricted free agent after he and the Jazz never saw eye-to-eye on money. The two sides failed to reach a contract extension before the season, and the gap only widened as a rising market for centers pushed Kessler’s asking price higher than it had been entering the 2025-26 campaign. Utah issued him a qualifying offer, which gave the franchise the ability to match outside offers, but the sign-and-trade framework routes him to Los Angeles while sending draft capital back to Utah.
Walker Kessler Gives Los Angeles Lakers a Long-Term Answer at Center
Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center, has established himself as one of the league’s premier rim protectors since Utah acquired him in the 2022 Rudy Gobert trade. He led the NBA in blocks per game during the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks and ranked among the top five in rebounding.
His 2025-26 season ended after 5 starts when he underwent surgery in November to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. In that limited stretch, Kessler averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go with 1.8 blocks, shooting 70.3% from the field.
In Los Angeles, Kessler steps into a clear need at center and projects as a lob threat and interior anchor alongside Luka Dončić as the Lakers reshape their roster this offseason.
Los Angeles Lakers Eye Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes as Additional Targets
With the frontcourt addressed, Los Angeles remains active in free agency. Dallas Hoops Journal has reported the Lakers are also linked to Toronto forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili and guard Quentin Grimes as they continue to build around Dončić.
Mamukelashvili, a 27-year-old, 6-foot-9 stretch big, reached the open market after declining a $2.8 million player option with the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 80 games this past season while shooting 52.3% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range, all career highs. His floor spacing gives Los Angeles a frontcourt option that fits cleanly next to Dončić.
Grimes, an unrestricted free agent, spent last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and carries a Dallas connection. He was a teammate of Dončić with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25 before a February 2025 trade to Philadelphia. Grimes averaged 13.4 points as a sixth man in 2025-26 after a 28-game stretch the prior season in which he posted career highs of 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Utah Jazz Reset Around Future Draft Capital
For Utah, the return continues a rebuild built around future draft assets. The two unprotected first-round picks and two swaps add to the collection of picks the franchise has assembled while retooling its roster.
The Kessler agreement can be finalized once the NBA’s free-agency moratorium lifts.
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- Sources: Los Angeles Lakers Among Teams Targeting Sandro Mamukelashvili In Free Agency
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