Now that the deadline to get an extension done, the Utah Jazz will officially be waiting till restricted free agency to get a contract done for Walker Kessler.
We know that the Jazz have incentive to wait, they can make moves this upcoming offseason and then sign Walker Kessler after the fact and go over the cap. Giving him a contract now would make Kessler happy, as he’s made clear, but would take away cap space the Jazz could use next summer.
The question is, whether the Jazz sign him now or next offseason, how much is Kessler worth? Last offseason he might have gotten a bigger deal. It’s clear the Jazz, and the rest of the league, are not giving out insane contracts any more. The new CBA has become increasingly restrictive and big contracts can hamstring a team really quickly. We’re already seeing extentions happen and they’re for less than players might have expected.
One example of a potentially comparable contract is Aaron Nesmith getting a two-year $40M contract.
We also saw Dyson Daniels, an elite defensive player, sign a four-year $100M contract.
This one is interesting considering Daniels was apparently asking for a five-year $150M contract but had to settle for $25M a year.
Finally, another elite defensive player, Toumani Camara, signed a four-year $82M contract to stay with the Blazers. For those counting that’s an average of $20.5M per year.
Obviously these players are not centers but it does appear to give a frame of reference for the contracts going around. All of these players are not all-star caliber guys, but are important starting caliber players that are great defensive players. And all of these players were given somewhere between $20-$25M per season. Would the Jazz be willing to do something like that? Maybe, but the question might be more along the lines of what Kessler wants. Either way, the Jazz have a clear market set and should definitely not be overpaying. Walker Kessler is a nice starting caliber center, but he is not a player that impacts winning to a degree that you should overpay. If Kessler is determined to get more than what the Jazz offer, they probably have to look at the trade market this season. Perhaps, that’s what they’re already doing.
