23-Year-Old Big Man Named ‘Ambitious’ Target for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are bound to get linked to many different big men this offseason, but there’s one player they’ve been targeting for a while. The team tried to trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler during the season, but a deal wasn’t able to materialize.

Kessler is only 23, so he still makes sense as a building block for Utah. However, the Lakers may be willing to up their offer.

Kessler isn’t an elite offensive center, but he’s a great shot blocker and rebounder. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report named an “ambitious” trade target for all 30 NBA teams. He listed Kessler for the Lakers.

“Walker Kessler has ranked in the 95th percentile or better in block rate among big men in each of his first three seasons,” Hughes wrote.” That kind of interior presence would transform a Los Angeles Lakers team that ranked 21st in blocks per 100 possessions and 25th in opponent field-goal percentage at the rim last year.

“In addition to protecting the rim for a team that doesn’t currently have a starting-caliber center on the roster, Kessler could juice the offense with his league-leading 4.6 offensive boards per game and dangerous lob-catching skills.”

Kessler Would Be Strong Fit With Luka Doncic

What has to be appealing about potentially adding a young center like Kessler is that the Lakers would be able to pair him with Luka Doncic for the foreseeable future. Doncic is a great player on his own, but having a dynamic big man unlocks another level to his game.

Hughes mentioned Doncic as a reason why Kessler makes sense.

“Luka Dončić thrives when he has a vertical spacer at the 5, and Kessler’s 132 dunks last season were the most of any player who logged fewer than 60 games,” Hughes wrote.

“Kessler is still on his rookie-scale deal, and the Utah Jazz shouldn’t be in the business of shipping out young players who’ve already proved themselves as starters. But if the Lakers were willing to give up a first-round pick, a pick swap and Dalton Knecht for Mark Williams, they shouldn’t have any problem surrendering at least that much for Kessler.”

Would Jazz Accept the Mark Williams Deal?

The Lakers showed during the season that they were willing to swing a big trade for a center. As Hughes noted, the team offered up quite a bit to the Charlotte Hornets in an effort to add Williams.

That deal fell through due to a failed physical, but the good news is that the Lakers still have those assets. For the Jazz, landing Knecht gives them a young player to swap for Kessler, so they’ll have another building block. Plus, they’d get a first-round pick out of it.

It remains to be seen if that’s enough to convince Utah to trade Kessler. It’s possible that the Lakers have already offered a similar package and got turned down. The team can’t give up Austin Reaves in a Kessler deal, but there are ways for Los Angeles to sweeten the pot. Adding Kessler would give the Lakers a major upgrade at center.