No Extension for Walker Kessler?

[framer]

Man, I freely admit to nothing almost nothing about the cap because it's math and utterly boring, but can someone explain how it's even possible for the Lakers to have two players making 100 million between them and somehow be in a position to even make trades, let alone sign free agents?

You are assuming Lebron leaves after this year to get that cap space.

 

[framer]

Also, the Jazz have done pretty well for themselves when they have large amounts of capspace and a plan to win. We haven't gotten the top free agents, but have done well with the Boozer and Okur level FA that every team but about 5 make do with.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Also, the Jazz have done pretty well for themselves when they have large amounts of capspace and a plan to win. We haven't gotten the top free agents, but have done well with the Boozer and Okur level FA that every team but about 5 make do with.

Not a bad point

 

[jazznik]

Also, the Jazz have done pretty well for themselves when they have large amounts of capspace and a plan to win. We haven't gotten the top free agents, but have done well with the Boozer and Okur level FA that every team but about 5 make do with.

This is some alternative history. The Jazz have never bagged good free agents. Boozer is a special case because the Cavs and Boozer were trying to pull off some shady stuff and Boozer outwitted them: he was never a normal FA that had time to be courted by many teams.

Boozer aside, the best FAs that the Jazz were able to get in the last 30 years were Okur (following his 10-6 season), Bojan, Harpring and Raja Bell. Which is pretty underwhelming, TBH.

 

[framer]

This is some alternative history. The Jazz have never bagged good free agents. Boozer is a special case because the Cavs and Boozer were trying to pull off some shady stuff and Boozer outwitted them: he was never a normal FA that had time to be courted by many teams.

Boozer aside, the best FAs that the Jazz were able to get in the last 30 years were Okur (following his 10-6 season), Bojan, Harpring and Raja Bell. Which is pretty underwhelming, TBH.

How many times have the Jazz had gobs of money to throw at free agents? Just the times you mention here, and these were all good free agents at the time we picked them up.

And Boozee ABSOLUTELY counts as a win in free agency regardless of the circumstances.

 

[jazznik]

How many times have the Jazz had gobs of money to throw at free agents? Just the times you mention here, and these were all good free agents at the time we picked them up.

And Boozee ABSOLUTELY counts as a win in free agency regardless of the circumstances.

Well if you count on the situation with Boozer being repeated this summer... good luck!

But if we look at the actual list of the available free agents, the best players in 2026 are Kessler, John Collins, Mathurin and Ivey. So, yeah: if the Jazz throw gobs of money at free agents they can get Kessler and John Collins.

 

[Flc]

Boozer aside, the best FAs that the Jazz were able to get in the last 30 years were Okur (following his 10-6 season), Bojan, Harpring and Raja Bell. Which is pretty underwhelming, TBH.

This is what the second apron is meant to address. They’re trying to force an end to superteams and spread the stars out across the league. We’ll see if it works.

 

[KqWIN]

IMO, having Kessler on a contract that becomes <15% of the cap down the road is more valuable than <$10M in cap space this upcoming summer. But if we get Eason + Ellis I’ll happily be wrong. I don’t even know if there’s a guy worth $30M+ this summer we could target.

 

[JimLes]

You are assuming Lebron leaves after this year to get that cap space.

But he has give no indication this is his last year, and I can't imagine a universe in which the Lakers are currently paying his diabolically bad son while planning to let LeBron go next year.

 

[Hedda Gambler]

If Kessler continues to look this good over the next 20+ games, we will have one of the best trade chips in the entire league on our hands. By trading Kessler, we could give a contending team cap relief by taking on a larger contract and a very good player that not only helps them now, but has a low cap hold for next season, which could give a team like the Lakers the opportunity to sign someone else and then reup Kessler.

 

[KqWIN]

If Kessler continues to look this good over the next 20+ games, we will have one of the best trade chips in the entire league on our hands. By trading Kessler, we could give a contending team cap relief by taking on a larger contract and a very good player that not only helps them now, but has a low cap hold for next season, which could give a team like the Lakers the opportunity to sign someone else and then reup Kessler.

It's a good point that hasn't been mentioned. Had he been extended, they couldn't trade him (they can but it'd be difficult due to BYC). I don't think the Jazz are particularly high on Kessler, so they may have wanted to keep a trade a possibility. It still would have made more sense for them to trade him earlier, however.