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Jazz trade talk 2024-25

Just for the record, I'm hoping Kessler thrives with the Jazz long term.
Kessler is the player you have to build your rotations and sets around and he is simply not that good to build anything around him. Almost no hops, no offensive game, soft, confidence issues, poor free-throw shooter... He needs to somehow improve so many things to thrive long term... and many of those things are simply who he is physically and mentally and not a skill issue.
 
Kessler is the player you have to build your rotations and sets around and he is simply not that good to build anything around him. Almost no hops, no offensive game, soft, confidence issues, poor free-throw shooter... He needs to somehow improve so many things to thrive long term... and many of those things are simply who he is physically and mentally and not a skill issue.
I am afraid that Kessler will not get much in a trade now. I hope he turns it around but not holding my breath. I like some of the centers in the next couple of drafts that the Jazz could draft who probably have a higher ceiling than Kessler.

khaman Malauch - Huge fan and think he would be a great draft target. Has a couple year how ever before but could ultimatly stretch the floor and protect the basket.

 
There's 0 reason to trade Kessler. He might not be a top 15 center, and Lord knows I dont enjoy watching him play, but he still has great backup potential and I dont think he's going to get any crazy offers in RFA.
 
There's 0 reason to trade Kessler. He might not be a top 15 center, and Lord knows I dont enjoy watching him play, but he still has great backup potential and I dont think he's going to get any crazy offers in RFA.
This. Kessler is a solid guy for regular season success. It’s a long season and I think he has skills that fit very well into the rotation. I was hoping for more improvement by this point, but that might not be in the cards. There’s really no need to sell low on him right now. Build from the top down, and if that displaces him. . . so be it.
 
I been on this corner for most of the summer... but if you get an okayish enough offer for Kessler you can go ahead and take it. Will aid the tank... add a couple assets and we can get more of a look at Flip. There isn't urgency but also I'm not planning our future with him as a building block. He's an asset but not a building block.
 
I been on this corner for most of the summer... but if you get an okayish enough offer for Kessler you can go ahead and take it. Will aid the tank... add a couple assets and we can get more of a look at Flip. There isn't urgency but also I'm not planning our future with him as a building block. He's an asset but not a building block.

Agreed....though you may want to trade him sooner than later if you think he's going to continue to get worse. I agree with others that worse case scenario he's good for regular season success. But why exactly are we chasing regular season success right now? The argument people are making to keep him is the argument to trade him. If the Jazz think he's special and can actually be a building block, by all means keep him. But if you don't think he's that player, it's probably better to cut bait and there are several teams who would value Kessler's contract on his low salary more.

Trading someone like Sexton makes my stomach churn, because you could have huge egg on your face. He could be an all star. Walker has way less variability. You're very likely trading a guy who is in between situation starter and very good backup. Like if he has a higher end outcome and is as good as Jakob Poetl, are we really kicking ourselves because we didn't get premium value in a trade? Even though Kessler is young player, he's kind of like a vet. You know who he is and we've seen both ends of the spectrum. He won't go far beyond what his rookie year was or far below what his last season was.

On top of all of this, Kessler really isn't a Hardy type of big. He seems to be making progress with the short roll/dribble handoff stuff....but he's not exactly a system fit. There are some coaches who LOVE what Kessler offers, but Hardy is not one of them. Circling back to my earlier point, there's got to be a team besides the Jazz who wants him more than us.
 
Surely the Pelicans have Kessler-envy. Daniel Thiess is the closest thing they have to an experienced rim protector. And Zion/Ingram/McCollum do not inspire anyone to become the leagues best defenders but next to Herb Jones and Kessler, you might have something because they can both cover so much ground.

I am not sold on keeping or trading Kessler either, mainly due to fit. I like the guy and what he brings defensively. Who doesn't. But fit matters. No need to try to fit a square into a round hole.
 
I been on this corner for most of the summer... but if you get an okayish enough offer for Kessler you can go ahead and take it. Will aid the tank... add a couple assets and we can get more of a look at Flip. There isn't urgency but also I'm not planning our future with him as a building block. He's an asset but not a building block.
hes a building block. You need a big center with size off the bench or as a starter. The Jazz dont need more assets unless it's something extremely quality.
 
Agreed....though you may want to trade him sooner than later if you think he's going to continue to get worse. I agree with others that worse case scenario he's good for regular season success. But why exactly are we chasing regular season success right now? The argument people are making to keep him is the argument to trade him. If the Jazz think he's special and can actually be a building block, by all means keep him. But if you don't think he's that player, it's probably better to cut bait and there are several teams who would value Kessler's contract on his low salary more.

Trading someone like Sexton makes my stomach churn, because you could have huge egg on your face. He could be an all star. Walker has way less variability. You're very likely trading a guy who is in between situation starter and very good backup. Like if he has a higher end outcome and is as good as Jakob Poetl, are we really kicking ourselves because we didn't get premium value in a trade? Even though Kessler is young player, he's kind of like a vet. You know who he is and we've seen both ends of the spectrum. He won't go far beyond what his rookie year was or far below what his last season was.

On top of all of this, Kessler really isn't a Hardy type of big. He seems to be making progress with the short roll/dribble handoff stuff....but he's not exactly a system fit. There are some coaches who LOVE what Kessler offers, but Hardy is not one of them. Circling back to my earlier point, there's got to be a team besides the Jazz who wants him more than us.
Yeah I think I would have moved him this summer... I guess I wouldn't force a deal right now as its likely not a great time in the transaction cycle to get 80% of what they think is full value so kinda stuck until there is an injury or 12/15 when a transaction cycle kinda starts churning. If there was some sort of three teamer with NO I could see them biting if they could get Walker for Hawkins and stuff as it kills two birds with one stone. We don't need another smallish guard so we might recycle Hawkins for something.

One thing I have noticed is Kessler is actually trying to throw the backdoor pass from the top of the key... completed it once and turned it over once. But basically other than that he makes the safest non-play possible and still just is not tough. Poeltl isn't like a world beater strength wise but dude is physical and mean.
 
hes a building block. You need a big center with size off the bench or as a starter. The Jazz dont need more assets unless it's something extremely quality.
Next time this team makes the playoffs Walker plays what role for the team? Fill in the blank. Having Walker is fine... I'm just not changing any of my plans or thinking because of him.
 
Next time this team makes the playoffs Walker plays what role for the team? Fill in the blank. Having Walker is fine... I'm just not changing any of my plans or thinking because of him.
Backup center for 20 mpg off the bench. Highly important and he wont cost much due to the RFA squeeze. Not everyone has to be a starter to be important.
 
Backup center for 20 mpg off the bench. Highly important and he wont cost much due to the RFA squeeze. Not everyone has to be a starter to be important.
But if moving him now yields an asset and shaves a few wins to put us firmly in the 4/5 mix instead of 6-8... we can allocate some dollars later when we need that 20 mpg center.

If we could have a redo on the Knicks deal and we got the Detroit pick (likely conveys) and the Washington pick (surely turns into two seconds), then I'd probably take that. We can recycle some of these assets later when we have a need. In between now and when we are good we also may find a center we want to play 34 minutes a night. Walker may be squeezed by the RFA market but he still might be too much salary for that role.

I hold until the right offer comes or if the tank is off track and we have an okay offer. Its not that Walker isn't important. I think he's less important than the tank.
 
But if moving him now yields an asset and shaves a few wins to put us firmly in the 4/5 mix instead of 6-8... we can allocate some dollars later when we need that 20 mpg center.

If we could have a redo on the Knicks deal and we got the Detroit pick (likely conveys) and the Washington pick (surely turns into two seconds), then I'd probably take that. We can recycle some of these assets later when we have a need. In between now and when we are good we also may find a center we want to play 34 minutes a night. Walker may be squeezed by the RFA market but he still might be too much salary for that role.

I hold until the right offer comes or if the tank is off track and we have an okay offer. Its not that Walker isn't important. I think he's less important than the tank.
I disagree. Walker has a chance to be the best rim protector in the NBA. You cant just find that. The Knicks and Pelicans have both been trying and failing. The idea that centers can be had when you want is now antiquated.

I'm a Walker hater, but I like him off the bench when the team is ready to compete. I dont think you just sell someone with his skillset unless you are getting a very quality return. I'm not that worried about him adding wins. Hell Flip playing might add more wins than Kessler.
 
The reason to trade him is because he's just a backup. If you don't want to trade him, the rationale would be that you believe he's more than that. You have to pick one or the other. The idea that you can just find a random backup C is not antiquated, it is more alive than ever. Backup C is the last priority I would have as a rebuilding team. We already have a backup C without Kessler. Two of them in fact. Maybe even 3 if Flip is good.
 
Jazz are likely trying to trade Clarkson as we speak, but I could see them hasten their efforts to open up more minutes for Brice at the 2-guard. Brice is ready for heavy developmental minutes.
 
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I disagree. Walker has a chance to be the best rim protector in the NBA. You cant just find that. The Knicks and Pelicans have both been trying and failing. The idea that centers can be had when you want is now antiquated.

I'm a Walker hater, but I like him off the bench when the team is ready to compete. I dont think you just sell someone with his skillset unless you are getting a very quality return. I'm not that worried about him adding wins. Hell Flip playing might add more wins than Kessler.
Its hard to say he might be the best rim protector in the league and that also a rookie playing instead of him may mean more wins.

Look - I'm cool keeping him until something moves us off the position. Either a fair offer, the tank struggling, or we find something better we want to invest in.
 
Someone on the team needs to set picks, grab the other team's jerseys and occasionally hit a shot. It might as well be Kessler.
 
The same. Preseason really should not change much, but it's fun.

I agree and disagree. Final scores and team results mean nothing, but we are currently getting way more information about our young guys than we had before. It's still too small of a sample size to say much, but much more information than we had before
 
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