The Los Angeles Lakers have big expectations for the upcoming year.
While all of the attention has been on LeBron James‘ future, the team is focused on winning a championship.
JJ Redick made that clear at the team’s press conference when he addressed the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup for this season and weighed in some of their new additions, like Marcus Smart.
With Luka Doncic appearing to be in fantastic shape and the Lakers filling some of their biggest holes over the offseason, Los Angeles should be in title contention.
Photo by David Berding/Getty ImagesWalker Kessler’s future with the Utah Jazz is in question
The Lakers addressed a big area of need when they signed DeAndre Ayton after he got bought out.
Los Angeles needed a center after they got exposed in their playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before the Ayton signing, one of the names connected to the Lakers was Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who has one more year left on his deal before he becomes a restricted free agent.
To this point, the Jazz have not offered him a contract extension. Kessler talked about possibly not getting an extension with the team, via Andy Larsen.
“I’m definitely a little frustrated.
As long as I have a Utah Jazz jersey on I will play winning basketball.”
Walker Kessler is still on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar
Even though the Lakers signed Ayton, the team is reportedly still interested in Walker Kessler who solves their long-term problem at center.
However, the Jazz could reportedly be seeking multiple first-round picks and Austin Reaves in any deal for Kessler, which would be a steep price for Los Angeles to pay.
Kessler is one of the best young bigs in the league. He played in 58 games for the Jazz last season, averaging 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 66.3 percent from the field. He also had 28 double-doubles.
For his career, Kessler has averaged 9.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. He is set to make $4.9 million during the 2025-26 season.