Rob Pelinka Explains Why Lakers Seized Chance to Land Walker Kessler

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into the NBA offseason with a couple of goals at the top of their list. One, re-signing Austin Reaves to a long-term deal, which they’ve accomplished when it becomes official, and secondly, acquiring an A-list center to play alongside Luka Doncic and Reaves for the foreseeable future.

After agreeing to a four-year, $185 million contract with Reaves, the Lakers moved fast in their efforts to bring in an elite center who could make an impact on both ends of the floor. They checked that box by pulling off a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz to bring in Walker Kessler.

Rob Pelinka Reveals What Walker Kessler Brings to Lakers

On Wednesday, the Lakers made the Walker Kessler trade official, with general manager Rob Pelinka making the following statement about the team’s biggest offseason acquisition.

Rob Pelinka on Walker Kessler: "At the core of every great Lakers team is a dominant big man. At just 24 years old, Walker Kessler has established himself as one of the elite two-way centers in the game. When the opportunity presented itself to pair a rim-protecting, lob-catching…
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) July 9, 2026

Although Kessler comes at a hefty price, with the Lakers sending two first-round draft picks and two future first-round draft swaps while also signing a four-year, $130 million contract, the 24-year-old is a massive upgrade in the frontcourt.

The recently traded Deandre Ayton had a decent 2025-26 campaign with the Lakers, but Doncic wanted a better all-around player at the position. Pelinka and company were able to honor that request by pairing him with perhaps the best option available outside the Detroit Pistons' rising star, Jalen Duren.

Kessler brings a lot to the table as the two-way center the team was looking for this summer. He may be coming off a year in which he only played in five games due to needing a season-ending shoulder surgery, but when healthy, he’s a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor.

During the 2024-25 NBA season, Kessler put his skills on display while patrolling the paint for the Jazz. The Auburn product took his game to another level as Utah’s full-time starter at the center position, recording 28 double-doubles while averaging 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and an eye-popping 2.4 blocks per game, shooting 66.3 percent from the field.

Walker Kessler Could Be a Threat From Three-Point Range

Even though it was a small sample last season, Kessler was starting to improve his outside shooting. He shot 75 percent from deep during the 2025-26 campaign, but it was only on 1.6 attempts per contest.

Those attempts might go up considerably while playing with Doncic, who opens things up for everything that he plays with. Obviously, Kessler’s time will mostly be spent in the paint as a lob threat and a force on the offensive glass, as he led the league in that category in 2024-25 with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game.

Kessler has an opportunity to be the next star big man in Los Angeles, following in the footsteps of the greats before him like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol and Anthony Davis.

He’s not the scorer that these Lakers legends were, but he might be able to make an impact alongside Doncic and Reaves that puts the storied franchise back into title contention in a very competitive Western Conference.

Andrew Bynum’s role alongside Kobe Bryant and Gasol might be the ideal situation for Kessler, but hopefully the Lakers newcomer can stay healthier than the two-time NBA champion was during his time in Los Angeles.

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