The Utah Jazz may have walked away from the Walker Kessler deal with a return that now looks even stronger in the wake of the Jaylen Brown trade.
Kessler, a restricted free agent center, was sent to the LA Lakers for two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps. For Utah, that meant draft capital, financial breathing room and a cleaner path to building out the roster going forward.
What has turned heads around the league is how that package stacks up next to what the Boston Celtics got for Brown. Boston received two first-rounders and Paul George, a player who has been widely seen as a negative asset since signing his $211 million contract in 2024. Brown was coming off a career-best season and an All-NBA Second Team nod, yet the return came in below what Utah landed for Kessler, who has not made an All-Star team in four NBA seasons.
That gap left some general managers stunned, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
"I mean, the guy [Jaylen Brown] got traded for less than Walker Kessler," one NBA general manager told MacMahon. "That's baffling to me."
Another GM pointed to the challenge of committing that much cap space to a player unless he belongs in the very top tier.
"It's really hard to tie up that much of your salary cap in one player unless they're truly generational. And he's not even close to that," another GM said.
"If you supermax Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] or Joker, it makes sense. That's probably the list.
The league is getting smarter now. And here's the thing: The dumb teams are also the cheap teams, so the Celtics couldn't take advantage of one of them."
The Brown deal has already become one of the most surprising blockbuster returns in recent memory. A player once rumored to command four picks instead brought back two, along with George and the contract attached to him for the next two years.
Utah’s situation was different. The Jazz gave up a young defensive anchor they valued, but they did it in a sign-and-trade that brought back a massive draft haul.
The Lakers also took on a notable contract for Kessler: four years, $130 million, with a player option in the fourth season and an average annual value of $32.5 million. That is the highest salary ever paid to a center who has never appeared in an All-Star Game.
The Jazz now have more flexibility and a fresh batch of first-rounders after previously parting with picks in their trade deadline deal to bring in Jaren Jackson Jr. via the Memphis Grizzlies. They do have a hole to fill at center, but their long-term outlook looks cleaner than it did a week ago.
Boston, meanwhile, is left with George’s contract, fewer draft assets and plenty of scrutiny over the decision to move on from its five-time All-Star.
Utah lost a good player in Kessler. Still, the deal left the Jazz in a strong position for what comes next, with enough flexibility to address their center spot down the line.
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