The Los Angeles Lakers went into this offseason wanting and needing an upgrade at the center position, particularly in terms of the defensive end of the floor. Even when Anthony Davis was a member of their roster, they lacked a true center who was a defensive presence, other than during the 2019-20 season when they had the tag-team duo of JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.
But now, they have plugged that hole. Last week, they agreed to a sign-and-trade deal involving Walker Kessler, a young and massive 7-foot-2 center who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz. On Wednesday, that deal became official.
Los Angeles gave up two future first-round draft picks and two pick swaps and is signing Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract. The fourth year of that contract is a player option.
“At the core of every great Lakers team is a dominant big man,” said Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. “At just 24 years old, Walker Kessler has established himself as one of the elite two-way centers in the game. When the opportunity presented itself to pair a rim-protecting, lob-catching big with our two premier pick-and-roll guards, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, we seized it. Walker will embody the core pillars we value in our players: high character, high basketball IQ and elite competitiveness as we enter the next era of Lakers basketball. It’s an incredibly proud moment to add someone with Walker’s unique skill set and makeup to our program.”
Kessler may not join the group of dominant or great Lakers big men, which includes Davis, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan. But in every era of NBA basketball, having a center who is a bona fide shot-blocker and defensive backbone has been a big plus, and now the Lakers will have one.
The 24-year-old Kessler is 7-foot-2 and 245 pounds and has career averages of 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 25.3 minutes a game. Some feel the Lakers gave up too much to get him and are giving him too big a contract, but he can still expand his offensive game a bit, especially if he develops a 3-point shot, which he showed early signs of doing this past season.
Doncic reportedly wanted L.A. to get him an “A-list center” this summer. He’s got his man, and he’s reportedly “excited” about the moves the team has made so far.
The team also agreed to free-agent deals with guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton and big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, and it got an agreement from veteran big man and three-time NBA champion Kevon Looney, who will back up Kessler. It is reportedly seeking to acquire forward Jonathan Kuminga to fill its last real hole: a starting two-way forward.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Walker Kessler is now officially a member of the Lakers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
