The Utah Jazz have built themselves a safety net in case Walker Kessler’s free agency turns messy.
By re-signing Jusuf Nurkic, Utah gave itself a fallback at center that matters far more than the sentiment attached to the move. The Jazz still expect Kessler to be back next season unless the Los Angeles Lakers “launch the nuclear option (on the Jazz and themselves),” but if that highly unlikely scenario ever came to pass, Nurkic would help soften the blow.
Nurkic is not Kessler, and the source makes that plain. But when Kessler went down, Nurkic handled the job well enough that there was no real pushback about bringing him back. At minimum, he proved he could hold things together.
That matters because Utah would not be left empty-handed if Kessler somehow departed. The Jazz would still be “quite loaded,” and Nurkic could cover some of the holes Kessler would leave behind, even if he could not cover everything. Jaren Jackson Jr. would also be there to provide rim protection, so the entire burden would not fall on Nurkic alone.
There is also the simple fact that Nurkic has already made his stance clear. When he became a Jazzman, he has spoken openly about his loyalty, and on June 29, 2026, he put that feeling in writing: “Super excited to be back @utahjazz #jazzman 🎷🎷 pic.twitter.com/8wBOulWttI”
But none of that changes Utah’s larger plan. The Jazz were always trying to keep both big men, and Nurkic’s return means they have already checked off half of their offseason work.
Just as important, bringing Nurkic back gives Utah no reason to let Kessler leave. If anything, it strengthens the case for keeping him. The team is expected to be better with Nurkic back and Darryn Peterson on the way, and Kessler would only add to that.
Nurkic, for all the value he still brings, is best suited as the backup option. He did a fine job starting, but pairing him with Kessler only makes one of the Jazz’s biggest strengths even bigger.
For now, the stalemate with Kessler remains the same: Utah is standing firm on its offer, and Kessler is waiting for more. Whoever gives in first, the Jazz at least know they have covered their bases.
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Jazz Have A Free Agency Decision Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Jazz head into free agency with about $15 million in non-taxpayer mid-level exception space, and the front offices first priority remains clear: getting restricted free agent Walker Kessler back in the fold. From there, Utah has a familiar kind of decision to make, weighing whether to use the rest of that flexibility on a veteran who can help now or keep its powder dry for longer-term roster building. Marcus Smart, Matisse Thybulle, Gary Payton II and Tobias Harris all fit different needs, which is part of what makes this such a real debate for a team trying to sharpen its identity.
Smart brings the kind of edge and playoff experience that can change a locker room, even if Utah would not be the presumed favorite in that chase. Thybulle is the pure defensive specialist of the group, Payton offers similar backcourt resistance, and Harris would give the Jazz a more established scoring option on the wing or front line. Utah was tied to Harris before, too, which adds another layer to a decision that is less about chasing names than finding the right veteran fit around a young core. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Are Circling Walker Kessler Again And Jazz Fans Know Why
Walker Kessler is back in the free-agent conversation at a time when the Lakers are trying to line up their summer business, and Utah fans have every reason to keep one eye on it. Los Angeles is scheduling meetings with several players as it prepares for NBA free agency, and Kessler is among the restricted targets drawing attention, with other clubs also in the mix. For the Jazz, it is the kind of familiar spotlight Kessler has lived under before, and it comes after a season in which his production hinted at a bigger role even as injuries interrupted the sample.
The Lakers are also casting a wide net beyond Kessler, with interest in Sandro Mamukelashvili and Gary Trent Jr. as those two head into open market negotiations. Mamukelashvili and Trent both declined their player options, which only adds to the sense that Los Angeles is hunting for versatile pieces wherever it can find them. For Utah, the real intrigue is not just that Kessler is being courted again, but how aggressively the outside market will try to pull him away from a franchise that still has every mechanism to keep him. [Read more 🡒]