Bawse Dawg
Well-Known Member
I was bummed they couldn’t get that loss in OT against Phoenix too. But this was an aggressive reaction from Ainge after Kessler grabbed all those rebounds.
No Extension for Walker Kessler?
- Thread starter Handlogten's Heros
- Start date
framer
Well-Known Member
I think the Jazz like Kessler just fine as long as he isnt the second or third highest paid player in the team. Slot him in at 25 million and he fits just splendidly. Sucks that it happened like this though.
HadAnEffectHere
Well-Known Member
The Jazz's scheme does literally everything you do not want to do with an immobile big. Kessler takes forever to get back in transition, but the Jazz send their forwards in to crash the glass to, making his transition woes even worse. The Jazz meanwhile sell out helping to avoid paint penetration, even though minimizing the damage of paint penetration is the whole point of Kessler's archetype.
Step-Back Lauri
Well-Known Member
They can find a new coach.
HadAnEffectHere
Well-Known Member
They will not.
He will recover and still get a good contract that will set him up for life
He may even get another decent contract after this next one
Can't feel too sorry for these guys
Just for kicks, I asked CoPilot to predict Kessler's extension / FA contract.
1. Current Contract Status
Kessler is on a rookie-scale contract, signed after being drafted in 2022. His deal runs through the 2025–26 season, with a team option for that final year. That means:- He’s not eligible for free agency until 2026, unless traded or waived.
- The Jazz are likely to exercise his team option, keeping him on a very affordable deal.
2. Performance & Role
Kessler has shown elite rim protection and rebounding, but his offensive game is still developing. If he continues to improve and becomes a consistent starter or defensive anchor, he could be in line for a significant payday.3. Market Comparisons
Assuming steady development, here are some comparable contracts he might aim for:| Player | Role | Contract | Year Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nic Claxton | Starting center, elite defender | 4 yrs / $100M (projected 2024 FA) | 2024 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | Versatile big, strong defender | 3 yrs / $87M | 2024 |
| Jarrett Allen | All-Star caliber center | 5 yrs / $100M | 2021 |
4. Predicted Contract (2026 FA or Extension)
If Kessler continues on his current trajectory:- Likely Range: 4 years, $80–100 million
- Ceiling: 4 years, $120 million if he becomes a top-tier defender and improves offensively
- Floor: 3 years, $45–60 million if his role remains more limited
5. Utah Jazz Fit
The Jazz value defense and have invested in young talent. If they see Kessler as a long-term piece, they may offer an extension before he hits free agency—possibly in the summer of 2025.Tremendous Upside
Well-Known Member
NBA Rumors Notebook: Early Developments To Monitor About The Dallas Mavericks And Across The League
Early NBA trade developments to monitor around the Dallas Mavericks and across the league as teams evaluate rosters ahead of trade season.
dallashoopsjournal.com
It is unclear if it's 4/$120 or 5/$120. But even it was a 4 year deal, that's only $30M a season. If the Jazz and Kessler were truly too far apart at that number, the Jazz were not negotiating in good faith.
Handlogten's Heros
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I need yall to know... The Jazz did not really do any kind of negotiation. It was caphold type number (15-16M or whatever) or nothing... and then silence on the Jazz's end.NBA Rumors Notebook: Early Developments To Monitor About The Dallas Mavericks And Across The League
Early NBA trade developments to monitor around the Dallas Mavericks and across the league as teams evaluate rosters ahead of trade season.
It is unclear if it's 4/$120 or 5/$120. But even it was a 4 year deal, that's only $30M a season. If the Jazz and Kessler were truly too far apart at that number, the Jazz were not negotiating in good faith.
This isn't me guessing btw.
Now where does the 120M number come from... it may be what he wanted or what his camp was hoping to use as a starting point. But the reports painting it as "walker wanted X" and the "Jazz would only do Y" are not an accurate depiction of what happened. There wasn't any kind of back and forth like you'd expect in a negotiation... because there was no real negotiation.
It might be case that the Jazz’s first criteria for hiring new executives should be something other than whether they went to BYU or not.
There are more embarrassing things but this is embarrassing and it will only be by pure dumb luck that this turns out well for the Jazz.
I still think there’s a deal to be made here. Even if it’s us matching an offer in RFA.
Great teams have rim protection. Walker is one of the best in the NBA at that skill, with plus-efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. He’s also just a good dude and a good vibe in the locker room.
From Walker’s perspective - you have flourished in Utah. You have a chance to carve out a long-term career here that suits your skill set to a T and will net you a …. ton of money.
Classic, symbiotic relationship. Just get it done.
Great teams have rim protection. Walker is one of the best in the NBA at that skill, with plus-efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. He’s also just a good dude and a good vibe in the locker room.
From Walker’s perspective - you have flourished in Utah. You have a chance to carve out a long-term career here that suits your skill set to a T and will net you a …. ton of money.
Classic, symbiotic relationship. Just get it done.
cctrackstar
Well-Known Member
i loved AK 47. his deal ruined the team at the time. bad contract equals bad player no matter the skill level. if he wants too much, 'see ya'.
HadAnEffectHere
Well-Known Member
I mean, the big issue is that Kessler has never made any impact on the Jazz because Hardy's scheme is completely opposed to Kessler's player type. The Jazz finished last in defense in Kessler's 2nd and 3rd years. Hardy's scheme greatly values big men that can get back quickly in transition (because he sends so many guys to offensive rebound) and greatly devalues big men that can protect the rim (because he surrenders threes to stop players from getting to the paint). Kessler and Hardy are a very very bad fit which is probably why there has been so much tension between Kessler and the Jazz and why the Jazz didn't try to extend him.
The whole "we're not going to trade Kessler when he has tons of value due to his contract, but we're not going to extend him either, and we're not going to ask the coach to change the scheme to better fit Kessler" situation is just really odd.
Tremendous Upside
Well-Known Member
It's not just him either:
They already went through this with Lauri, kind of.
They didn't trade him back when his market value was sky high even though a tank was on the cards, nor did they start surrounding him with good players in order to compete and make full use of his basketball value. Instead they made him play with a bunch of scrubs, wasting several years of his prime... and then decided to hand him a MASSIVE contract that quickly became an obstacle for trading him... while also sending out signals that he might be available after all.
Just horrible management.
Offense rebounding leading to transition defense issues is mostly a myth. Jazz don’t have a large problem there.
View: https://x.com/crumpledjumper/status/1998573993222357007?s=46&t=O8QgyEFSLCb2qd3SCki2Cw
View: https://x.com/crumpledjumper/status/1998573993222357007?s=46&t=O8QgyEFSLCb2qd3SCki2Cw
Is it a myth or is Houston just hyper athletic p plus big and can do both?
There's no league wide trend here. As you can see in the graphic, the better offensive rebounding teams aren't necessarily worse at giving up transition. Many teams allow even less transition when they send more to the glass. HOU is the best at this, but they are not the only team benefitting. The Jazz also allow less transition opportunities when they send more guys to the offensive glass. More players crashing the glass = more guys who have to stay back and box out.
If we're working with the old the theory that offensive rebounding leads to poor transition defense, the highly prized defenders would be the players who don't crash. Those would be your transition defenders, not the guys you send to the glass. It's not like Stephen Adams, Capela, and Sengun are highly athletic guys getting back on defense. So even if we ignore the data, it doesn't really align that Kessler doesn't fit an offensive rebounding focused team.
I think it is true, however, that Hardy does not want to rely on a rim protector which is Kessler's greatest asset as a defender.