Walker Kessler's Incoming Offers Creating Real Problem for Utah Jazz

This year's NBA free agency period has kicked off, which means for the Utah Jazz, their own restricted free agent Walker Kessler will officially be able to take meetings and receive offers from interested teams.

That process of taking those meetings has seemingly already started for Kessler.

Previous intel had linked the Jazz big man to be taking meetings at his agency's headquarters in Los Angeles with multiple teams as the market opened on Tuesday afternoon. One of those teams was widely assumed to be the Los Angeles Lakers.

And based on some recent reporting of what those meetings have consisted of, the road is already starting to look a little bumpier for the Jazz and their chances of retaining their young defensive anchor.

Walker Kessler Already Receiving Offers in High $30M Range?

According to The Athletic insider Tony Jones, Kessler has had meetings with "a couple of teams" in the first one to two hours upon the free agent market opening.

And in those meetings, Kessler's been able to find "multiple offers" spanning within the range of $30 to $35 million, paired with the structure of his choice, potentially with player options attached.

Utah Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler has had meetings with a couple of teams and is headed to another meeting, league sources tell The Athletic. He holds multiple offers in the mid to high 30’s annually, along with structure of his choice, including player options
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2026

While it was known for a while that Kessler was going to get a good bit of interest if hitting the restricted free agent market, who would be offering him, and how much those suitors would be willing to pay was a bit more unknown.

And outside of the Lakers, we still aren't totally sure as to who might be in the race to pursue Kessler. But at the very least, we now know that teams are certainly being aggressive in their efforts to try and pry away the defensive-minded big man from the Jazz.

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

The Jazz's well-reported-on offer for Kessler before free agency opened seemingly spanned around the range of $140 million over five years; a contract that would be hitting $28 million AAV, and felt like a reasonable offer for Utah to try and get back their 24-year-old big man.

Kessler's camp, however, felt as if he was worth more than what the Jazz had in mind. They took the approach of restricted free agency, and now might be starting to see just how much teams outside of Utah will value him on his second contract.

Jazz Aren't Totally Out of Answers to Re-Sign Walker Kessler

While the number coming in might be high for Kessler, it's far from a clear indication that the Jazz aren't willing to bend a bit in their approach, in the event they were tasked to match another team's offer sheet that gets accepted.

The obvious piece that can't be left out of Kessler free agency talks is the Jazz's ability to match any offer sheet that the big man receives due to their restricted free agent rights.

No matter if Kessler accepts a steep contract from another team, it won't restrict them from accepting that proposed offer sheet an bringing him back, so long as they're willing to enter the luxury tax.

But following Jones' report, Ben Anderson of KSL Sports also made a subsequently important note detailing that the Jazz are "flexible" on the structure of a deal for Kessler. He also hinted at the possibility of teams offering a front-loaded contract that starts in the mid-to-high 30s, then descending in following years.

Two things:

One, I have also heard the Jazz are flexible on the structure of a deal with Walker Kessler.

Two, if another team is offering a descending deal, that could start in the "mid to high 30's" and work downward while still matching that criteria.

We'll see.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 30, 2026

Both are important layers to keep in mind. If the Jazz are flexible on the length and options on Kessler's deal, that gives the two sides more room to work with for a return.

The second piece is also key in indicating that, while the number seems initially high, it might not be the case for the entire length of the contract. Kessler could have an annual salary closer to $40 million in year one of his deal, but see that quickly decrease in the years following, depending on the length of the contract.

More intel will surface the deeper into free agency we get. But at the very least, Kessler's contract negotiations have gotten a little bit more intriguing after only a couple of hours of free agency have gotten underway.

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