The Lakers have made their move for size, and the ripple effect reaches straight to San Antonio.
Los Angeles sent a handful of draft compensation to the Utah Jazz to land Walker Kessler, and he plans to sign a four-year, $130 million deal with the team. It’s a major swing for a player who has spent the early part of his career building a reputation as one of the league’s most disruptive rim protectors, and it also fits a bigger pattern around the NBA: teams are loading up on frontcourt muscle because of Victor Wembanyama.
Kessler has been one of the most coveted players of the offseason for exactly that reason. He brings size, shot-blocking and a real ability to challenge attempts at the rim.
Through his career, he has averaged more than two blocks per game, and he’s still looking for his first playoff run. That part changes now.
In Los Angeles, he’ll join Luka in what should be a dangerous pick-and-roll partnership, while also giving the Lakers the kind of interior defense they’ve been missing. The fit is strong enough to bring back memories of the Anthony Davis era on that end of the floor.
For San Antonio, though, the more important detail is what this says about the league around them. The Lakers are only the latest team to add size in response to Wembanyama’s presence.
The Miami Heat traded depth and draft capital to get Giannis. The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted the 7'3" Aday Mara to pair with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Front offices are clearly thinking the same thing: if you want a shot at surviving the postseason against Wemby, you better get bigger.
That’s why Kessler matters beyond Los Angeles. The Lakers ranked 19th in opponents’ points in the paint, and he gives them a chance to fix that in a hurry.
He’s about as good an answer to Wemby as they were going to find this summer, and future matchups could force San Antonio’s star farther from the basket than the Spurs would like. He also makes life tougher on the Spurs’ guards, who do plenty of their damage inside.
It’s a striking turn for a team that was viewed as a wildcard in the Western Conference only last summer. Back then, the Spurs’ upside was still being debated. Now, they’re being treated like the team everyone else is trying to catch - and, more importantly, the team everyone else is building to stop.
That’s the part that should stand out to San Antonio. Wembanyama hasn’t just changed the Spurs’ ceiling.
He’s changed how the league is putting rosters together. If there was ever any doubt that San Antonio’s run was a fluke, that’s gone now.
The bigger challenge is next: keeping pace with the new wave of answers the rest of the NBA is scrambling to build.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Find Themselves In A Frustrating Knicks Free Agency Fight
The backup-center market is getting crowded in a hurry, and San Antonio is suddenly part of the conversation even though the issue is bigger in New York. Both teams need frontcourt depth for the coming season, but the Spurs are at least starting from a place of flexibility, with Luke Kornet in the picture and several recent draft picks who could grow into the job if the staff wants to stay internal.
New York, by contrast, looks far more exposed behind Karl-Anthony Towns, which is why this competition could turn frustrating for San Antonio if the same names start disappearing. The Spurs are weighing whether to upgrade the spot rather than settle, and that leaves them balancing immediate need against the possibility that one of their young bigs can eventually claim the role. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Have One Roster Problem Tobias Harris Didnt Solve
Tobias Harris gave the Spurs another layer of depth and versatility, but he did not answer every question on the roster. San Antonio still has a clear hole behind Victor Wembanyama, and the front office knows the backup center spot needs more than a stopgap if it wants to keep the rotation balanced over the long haul.
Luke Kornets postseason stint is part of why the issue remains unfinished, and the Spurs now have two open roster spots to work with as they look for a better fit. Whether that comes from a veteran, a younger big or some other avenue, the next move at center matters because Wembanyamas minutes will have to be managed carefully during the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Fans Are Going To Hate This New 2028 Pick Twist
The Celtics latest draft-pick haul in the Jaylen Brown trade is already drawing attention for its sheer volume, but the real intrigue is buried in the fine print around a 2028 first-rounder. Boston is also picking up a 2031 unprotected first and several second-rounders from Philadelphia, and the rest of the return is tangled up in a web of pick swaps involving the Clippers, Sixers, Celtics and Spurs. For San Antonio followers, the key piece is obvious: the Spurs own 2028 first-round slot is part of the machinery shaping how Bostons side of the deal could ultimately shake out.
What makes this even messier is that Bostons 2028 positioning may not stop with the picks already in the trade. There is reported language suggesting the Celtics could also swap into any additional 2028 first-round pick Philadelphia acquires later if that pick ends up more favorable, though it is still unclear how much of that wording will survive NBA review. For now, the structure leaves more questions than answers, and the Spurs connection to the whole thing is one more reason this deal may not be fully understood until the league signs off. [Read more 🡒]