In an unfortunate turn of events for all involved, the Jazz will be without their star center until the 2026-27 season:
This comes as a major blow to Walker himself, who could have had a contract extension last month but instead faces restricted free agency, which is sure to be far less lucrative than it would otherwise been. Also—though I am an engineer, not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt—it’s hard to recover completely from a torn labrum. It might not be as big a deal for you or I, who might be a 5/5/2 guy at your local pickup game. But in the pros, the difference between an NBA starter and the G-League is separated by the slimmest of margins.
As uncomfortable as it is to discuss, this does provide some clarity about Utah’s path this season. The Jazz were playing too well when Walker was on the court. He raised their floor considerably and could very well have played them out of a first-round draft pick under certain conditions. The fear of losing that pick to Oklahoma City is now considerably lessened. So, are the Jazz tanking? No, technically not. But will the Jazz be bad?
The news answers another question which many in Jazzland have had since before the season started: Will Walker be traded? He was quite an attractive option for teams in need of a center, but now that door has been, although not locked and bolted, rudely shut. Because the Kessler trade talk has been all but silenced, the Lauri Markkanen trade talk will only amplify, as the right move could both make the team bad enough to land a superstar in an allegedly stacked 2026 draft and bolster their war chest for the future.
There is, though, still basketball to be played this year. About 90% of the season, in fact. That means more minutes for Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski, and even Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and Oscar Tshiebwe:
Unfortunately, Taylor Hendricks is much better as a secondary rim protector and is not built to be a true center. Similarly, the rest of the Utah frontcourt will struggle to pick up the slack. The Jazz, who were already struggling, have probably hit their high defensive water mark this year.
The front office decided not to put all their eggs in the Walker Kessler basket before the injury. They will now need to search for another young big even more earnestly, even though we at SLC Dunk—along with the rest of Jazz Nation, I’m sure—wish Walker a full and swift recovery.
