When the Jazz made the blockbuster trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. last February, a vision was put into place. A vision of a healthy Walker Kessler pairing up with JJJ to create the most daunting defensive rim presence in the NBA.
Everyone was on board. Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Will Hardy, Danny Ainge, Austin Ainge, the Jazz fanbase. Everybody bought in but Kessler, who apparently wanted to do everything in his power to not play in a purple mountain jersey ever again.
According to Marc Stein in his
latest post of “The Stein Line” substack, Kessler’s camp told Jazz officials that he was “determined” to go the qualifying offer route this summer, and hit unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Kessler was set to leave Utah no matter what. Nothing could have convinced him to stay.
This alleged sentiment contradicts an instagram post that Kessler made to Utah Jazz fans in the midst of free agency rumors in June.
“I’ve seen what’s being said, and I want it to be clear that I have always wanted to be here — I love this city, these fans, my teammates, my coaches — that’s real to me. You don’t grow roots where you don’t want to be,” Kessler wrote to Jazz fans via Instagram on June 17, 2026.
The entire Kessler-Utah saga is a perplexing one. Why did Kessler have so much reported animosity towards the idea of playing for the Jazz? Even before Utah acquired JJJ, Kessler and the Jazz could not agree to terms on his rookie extension, failing to come to an agreement before the September deadline last season.
Kessler only played five games before succumbing to a season-ending shoulder injury, and even then, the Jazz showed confidence in the big man. In a recent interview with team reporters Eric Spryopolous and JP Chunga, Austin Ainge claimed that he wanted to bring Kessler back for another season.
“ We really valued Walker. Walker’s a good player,” Austin Ainge said. “We were planning on keeping him. But that offer got high enough that we thought it was the right move to make for the Jazz for building a championship team.”
Austin Ainge was diplomatic in that interview, and while he was mostly truthful about the Kessler situation, what wasn’t mentioned was that Kessler ultimately did not want to play in Utah. Had Kessler been really committed to play for the Jazz, it looks like the Jazz would have happily had the fifth-year center back in 2026-27.
Kessler in L.A. hurts the Jazz for 2026-27. It is a noticeable falloff from Kessler as your starting center to Jusuf Nurkic — assuming that they are still trying to run a three-big lineup with Markkanen and Jackson at the three and four. But getting four first-round picks for a league-average center who has had an injury history already in his first four seasons in the NBA, is a fantastic deal.
It’s still weird to think about how the Kessler era in Utah ended. In his rookie season, it seemed that Utah had found its Rudy Gobert replacement for a fraction of the price. The Jazz were set to have another all-NBA defender for the next decade. He finished third behind Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams, both of whom are all stars now.
To think that he would only play four years for Utah after how great the marriage started is disappointing.
Expect some boos to rain down at the Delta Center when the Lakers visit Salt Lake City on Oct. 25.
