AI-written summary of reporting by New York Post. No human editor reviewed this. AI can misread or omit facts — read the original, linked below.
ABSTRACT

The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Walker Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, giving up two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, according to a New York Post column assessing the move. The column states the Lakers now have no tradable first-round draft pick for the next seven years.

New York Post

Lakers sign Walker Kessler to four-year, $130 million deal in sign-and-trade with Jazz

Sep 18, 2026, 5:00 PM

The Los Angeles Lakers signed center Walker Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, giving up two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, according to a New York Post column assessing the move. The column states the Lakers now have no tradable first-round draft pick for the next seven years.

Context

Kessler, 25, played five games last season before a torn labrum in his left shoulder required season-ending surgery, the column says. The column says the limited recent playing time leaves too small a sample to judge his development.

Kessler was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 22nd pick in the 2022 draft and was later traded to the Jazz, according to the column. It lists his career averages as 9.5 points on 68.1% shooting, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

According to NBA.com, Kessler contested 7.5 shots per game at the rim in 2024-2025, which tied him for the fifth most in the NBA, the column says.

The column says Luka Dončić made clear to the Lakers that he wanted Kessler as his center, and that the team needed to acquire an elite center and keep Dončić satisfied.

All Perspectives
Walker Kessler, Lakers center: "It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you," Kessler said during his introductory news conference in Las Vegas in July. "And I think what they've invested, they're showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but … assets. And for me, I'm somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, I'm gonna run through a brick wall for them. That's just how I've been wired my whole life."
Luka Dončić: The source states that Dončić made clear to the Lakers that he wanted Kessler as his center. The source does not quote Dončić directly.
New York Post column: The column argues Lakers fans should be relieved, writing that the team "had to get an elite center" and "needed to pay whatever it cost": "It's a gamble they had to take." It says Kessler must become an All-Defensive player and a borderline All-Star for the price to pay off, and concludes the Lakers were right to take the chance.
Position not represented in the source reporting: Los Angeles Lakers; Utah Jazz.
Gaps & Unknowns
  • The source does not state which years the two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps cover.
  • The source does not state the annual salary figures within the four-year, $130 million deal.
  • The source does not state whether Kessler is expected to be ready for the coming season or give a recovery timeline after his shoulder surgery.
  • The source does not state which season Kessler appeared in five games in.
  • The source does not include any statement from the Lakers or the Jazz about the trade.
  • The source does not reconcile its citation of NBA.com contested-shot data from 2024-2025 with its statement that Kessler played only five games last season.
Sources & Further Reading
  1. New York Post — original

Read the original at New York Post

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