Pacers Linked to Jazz's Walker Kessler in Latest Trade Buzz

The Indiana Pacers could be a prime destination for the Utah Jazz to send center Walker Kessler, if they decide to trade their young defensive anchor.

According to KSL Sports' Ben Anderson, the Pacers have been a team that's inquired about a trade centering around Walker Kessler "for a long time," going back to this summer when Indiana lost out on longtime center.

“I’ve heard the Indiana Pacers have inquired about Walker Kessler for a long time …. a lot," Anderson said on a new episode of the Jazz Notes podcast.

"That’s going back to the summer, they’ve lost Myles Turner… before the injury and even after the injury… This is no one with the Jazz but other people who have similar jobs to me have heard similar things.”

How likely is it that the Jazz lose their first-round pick to the OKC Thunder? 🤔@BensHoops and @CHoltSports talk about this and more on this week's episode of the Jazz Notes podcast! pic.twitter.com/hzBRukbDZP
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 8, 2025

Kessler, for the past several months, has been at the center of trade conversations as a young player that many teams around the league would be interested in if his services were to become available on the market.

The Pacers are seemingly one of those teams, which makes sense on paper, considering how the Myles Turner situation unfolded earlier this summer, and their current void at the center position since he's left town.

Oct 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Currently, Kessler is sidelined for the entire 2025-26 season, and on the verge of getting a new contract extension later this summer as he hits restricted free agency. But that won't count out the Jazz big man from being a candidate to be moved once signed onto a new deal, or perhaps as a sign-and-trade candidate if the opportunity presents itself.

Before being hurt, Kessler was on track to have a career-best season in Utah, averaging 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds a night during the five games he was active for. But a torn labrum leading to season-ending surgery led to that campaign being cut short, and will leave him working to return to full health for 2026-27.

Will Walker Kessler Get Traded Away From Utah?

Since Kessler has buzzed around in trade rumors dating back to last trade deadline, the stance of a trade for the Jazz's front office has remained largely similar to that of Lauri Markkanen's: unless there's a deal that comes their way that'd be foolish not to accept, they're a core piece of the future.

Kessler, through his four-season sample size, has proven more than capable of being the defensive centerpiece and future five-man in the middle for the Jazz once he gets healthy. He'll be due a big contract as soon as next summer to support that, but Utah has the cap to pay out, if they value him as such.

He'll remain a name who lingers around in trade rumors, and likely will continue to be even if the Jazz decide to extend him to a long-term deal this summer. The Pacers, like the Los Angeles Lakers, could be those hungry to acquire him if he ever hits the block, but for now, he's set in Salt Lake City.

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