Walker Kessler Sends Heartfelt Goodbye Message to Utah Jazz Fans

After a few days’ wait, the Utah Jazz’s trade sending Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers has been made official.

While the deal was agreed to in principle in the first few hours of the free agent market opening, the two sides had to wait a few days before the trade was actually finalized within the eyes of the league office.

So now that the free agency moratorium has passed and the trade has been submitted to the league office, Kessler is a certified Laker, and his four-year tenure with the Jazz has now come to a close.

Walker Kessler Issues His Goodbye to the Utah Jazz

And on Wednesday, after the deal was made official, it didn’t take long for Kessler to issue a heartfelt goodbye to his social media; thanking the fans, teammates, and coaches for the past four years in Salt Lake City.

Here's what he said:

"Four years ago I showed up as a young kid with a lot to prove and even more to learn. I’m leaving a better player and a better man, and I owe a lot of that to this place and the people in it.

To the Jazz organization; thank you for taking a chance on me and believing in me from day one. You gave a kid the platform to chase everything he ever dreamed of, and for that, I’m forever grateful.

To my teammates; you’re my brothers, plain and simple. The early mornings, the film sessions, the bus rides, the wins and the losses, all the moments nobody else got to see. I grew up next to you and I wouldn’t trade a second of it.

Coach Hardy and the entire coaching and performance staff; thank you for challenging me, trusting me, and never letting me settle. You believed in me even through the hard stretches, and I’m better because of it.

And to Jazz fans and the whole state of Utah; I honestly don’t have the words. You welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like one of your own. You stuck by me through the highs and the lows and never stopped showing up. I felt your love every single night, and I hope you felt how much I gave back.

This chapter changed my life. Thank you for everything, Utah. You’ll always be a part of my story. 💜🖤

Forever grateful,

The Sheriff 🤠"

While the past few months have seemed turbulent for the now-former Jazz big man with his lengthy contract negotiations and his reported ups and downs with the front office being unable to come to an agreement on a new deal, Kessler still certainly had a bright four seasons of being a part of Utah.

From being a finalist for Rookie of the Year back in 2023, emerging as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA when healthy, to now netting himself a $130 million contract from the Lakers, it's safe to say that his brief time in Salt Lake City can be considered a big success–– not just for the Jazz, but really, for both sides.

Kessler got the payday he wanted, the Jazz got a ton of assets in return for shipping him to Los Angeles, and each of them can now turn the page to what they feel is a great solution in their new situations after parting ways.

For Jazz fans that have watched Kessler grow into the talent he is today, it's a bit of a bittersweet feeling to now see his tenure in Utah come to an end. But as the saying always goes: don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

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