The Walker Kessler situation with the Utah Jazz ended up looking nothing like the tense standoff people expected. Instead of dragging into a messy wait-and-see game, Kessler got traded, got his money, and Utah walked away with valuable draft capital.
What only recently surfaced is that Utah’s decision was shaped in part by Kessler’s plan to take the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, according to Marc Stein.
"There is no denying that the s-t-e-e-p trade price that the Lakers were willing to pay to trade for Kessler influenced Utah more than anything, but league sources say that Kessler's camp successfully convinced Jazz officials that he was absolutely determined to go the qualifying offer route this summer had he stayed in Utah and then proceed to (un)restricted free agency next summer."
That matters because restricted free agency is one of the trickiest spots a player can land in. Teams are rarely eager to hand out an offer sheet when the original club can simply match it. In this case, though, the Jazz still found a way to come out ahead.
Utah got as much as it could from a Lakers team willing to pay a steep price to land Kessler. At the same time, the Jazz sidestepped the risk of him potentially leaving later without bringing anything back. That combination is what made the move work so well for them.
One important clarification: Stein’s reporting did not specifically say Kessler was definitely leaving. But if his camp was pushing the qualifying-offer route, and then Utah moved him, that tells you the Jazz believed the danger was real if he stayed.
The end result was the best possible outcome for Utah once the situation reached that point. They sold high, avoided the possibility of losing Kessler for nothing next summer, and added picks in the process. Even more, it appears the front office believed moving on was in its own best interest.
In a situation that could have gone bad for everyone involved, the Jazz turned it into a win.
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