LeBron James's Next Move May Complicate Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler Talks

The Utah Jazz could be facing a real roadblock in their talks to re-sign Walker Kessler because of the Los Angeles Lakers.

That's because of the recent decision made by future Hall of Famer LeBron James to signal that he won't be returning to the Lakers for what'll be his 24th year in the NBA.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that James will not be re-signing with the Lakers this summer with the intent of joining a new team, and thus leaves Los Angeles to turn in another direction for their free agent endeavors.

BREAKING: LeBron James will continue his NBA career for the 2026-27 season and has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that the franchise can move on without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/zzVk6xUVF1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2026

Of course, the center of the news is LeBron and what his NBA future might hold. But his decision to depart from the Lakers might also impact the Jazz and their chances to re-sign their restricted free agent center.

Based on the Lakers' consistently reported interest in bringing aboard Kessler throughout the past several weeks–– and even dating back to previous offseasons and trade deadlines–– it's easy to connect the dots on what it might mean for their plans moving forward: Los Angeles will probably be pushing heavily for the Jazz big man.

And if they're truly interested in Kessler, they now have a clearer route to make a signing happen without having to account for LeBron being on the books.

The Lakers' Path to Stealing Walker Kessler From Jazz

The Lakers have already been linked as one the few teams set to meet with Walker Kessler in California upon free agency opening on Tuesday night––signaling their intrigue to actually make a contract agreement come to fruition.

It won't be easy for the Lakers to pull off a deal, though, primarily because of the restricted free agent rights that the Jazz hold on Kessler. That gives Utah the right to match any offer sheet that Kessler decides to accept.

And to this point, signs have pointed towards Utah remaining aggressive in their efforts to retain him, even if at a higher cost than their previously reported offer of $140 million over five years. He has been, and will continue to be a key piece of their future.

Oct 27, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) looks to pass against Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But the Lakers could certainly make the road a bit tougher for the Jazz, considering the sheer cap flexibility they have on hand.

Los Angeles is projected to have upwards of $50 million in space once free agency opens, and has a clear need at center that makes Kessler an easy target for them to pursue–– depending on how much they're willing to offer him on his next contract.

Los Angeles Lakers salary cap situation with Deandre Ayton opting in and Marcus Smart expected to opt out.

They can get to $52 million in cap space if they decline Nick Smith's team option.

This projection factors in LeBron James and Marcus Smart not returning. pic.twitter.com/Y4Q7M4uaa4
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 29, 2026

That contract number, and how high the Lakers might be willing to spend, is the key in all of this. Because for the Lakers to truly have a chance at stealing Kessler, they'd need to offer a deal that scares off the Jazz enough from matching.

Lakers Would Have to Offer Substantial Money to Poach Kessler

How much that offer would be that scares the Jazz off, though, remains to be seen. Would it be $35 million? Closer to $40 million?

It's hard to truly know how high Utah would go to retain their defensive-minded big man. But those types of numbers might at least make the front office second-guess their intentions to match and all offer sheets that come his way.

Sure, Kessler's a pivotal piece of the Jazz future. At the same time, near max-money for a guy that played five games last season, and has never been selected as an All-Star, starts to get a bit crazy. Maybe at that point, Utah would actually consider a sign-and-trade deal, or something similar for a divorce from their 24-year-old big man.

The Lakers could also have the same line of thinking as well when it comes to paying out Kessler such a huge sum of money, which might also leave them hesitating to pay him out, instead of pursuing another free agent big man like Jalen Duren, or going in another direction entirely.

All of that being said, yes, the Lakers’ offseason plans without LeBron could certainly bleed into what could be in store for the Jazz and their summer, and whether or not they're truly at risk of losing their defensive anchor in the middle.

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