The pressure was on Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka to land an A-list center this offseason.
It was reported that Luka Dončić wanted one. The fans clearly desired it, and with the carousel of starting centers, it was clear the front office had been searching for years.
Pelinka got his guy, reportedly trading for Walker Kessler. It was expensive, but the Lakers think they got what they paid for: a starting center that fits perfectly with Luka and Austin Reaves.
This trade was far
from a foregone conclusion. With Kessler as a restricted free agent, the Jazz could’ve matched any contract agreed upon between the Lakers and Kessler. Utah’s reported offer of a five-year, $140 million extension indicated they wanted to keep their big.
However, the Lakers prepared for this summer. They held onto assets at the February trade deadline, saying no to deals. This allowed them more draft picks and cap space in the offseason to permanently fill holes in their roster.
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN illustrated in his recent story, this set up an opportunity for the Lakers to finally acquire Kessler via a trade.
In the past when the Lakers reached out to the Jazz, Kessler was on a cost-controlled rookie contract, making under $3 million. This time around, Kessler was a restricted free agent — and seeking a massive raise.
The Jazz ultimately decided that building around this year’s No. 2 draft pick, Darryn Peterson, while armed with a bevy of draft assets from L.A. would be a better path than overpaying Kessler over the long term.
Utah offered Kessler a five-year, $140 million extension, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, or about $28 million per year. The Lakers offered a four-year deal worth $130 million, sources told Charania, or about $32.5 million per year, and they emptied their war chest to send their unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks — plus pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 — to Utah in the deal.
In negotiations, whoever has leverage has the advantage.
With the Lakers holding onto their assets and setting up a situation where they’d have a ton of cap space this summer, they were able to make the Jazz an offer they couldn’t refuse. Add in that the Lakers reportedly had a contract richer than what Utah offered, and that’s how Kessler got to LA after so many rumors of the team’s interest in him.
Clearly, the Lakers feel that Kessler will lead to sustainable Lakers excellence. They gave up their 2031 and 2033 first round picks and pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 to acquire Kessler. That’s far more draft capital than they gave up for Luka.
The cost was high, but if it makes Dončić happy and, most importantly, works on the court, then that’s the price of doing business.
Fans have complained during other trade windows that the Lakers didn’t do enough, but this season that won’t be possible to say. Pelinka went all-in and landed his star big.
He used his assets to make a player a team didn’t necessarily want to part with into a Laker, and now the franchise is ready to fully enter the Luka Dončić era with the center they need for success.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
