Walker Kessler is a center at the top of the Los Angeles Lakers' list, but the Jazz's starting price is too steep. Austin Ainge (Danny Ainge's son) left Boston to become Utah's president of basketball operations this month, and the new decision-maker could trade several players on the roster to acquire more draft capital, including Kessler.

On Monday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic discussed why a Kessler trade is unrealistic on his podcast, Buha's Block. He mentioned that the Lakers had previously inquired about the center and were told that the starting price was equivalent to two first-round picks. Buha added that if LA offered the Mark Williams package to Utah (Dalton Knecht and a first-round pick), the Jazz would likely decline it.

Buha said that Kessler is available for the right price, but the issue is that LA doesn't have the assets to meet Utah's demands. The Lakers can only trade one of their 2031 or 2032 picks outright, so even if they wanted to offer the Jazz both, they couldn't. Knecht was a first-round pick in last year's draft, so while including him, along with a first-round pick, in a trade could be viewed as essentially two first-rounders, as Buha noted, that might not be enough.

The Jazz don't have to trade Kessler before the season starts, meaning they don't need to budge on their high asking price. The pressure is on LA, not Utah. The Lakers could end up overpaying for a center this offseason to appease Luka Doncic, but Kessler is out of their range.

Kessler will turn 24 at the end of July, so he could be a player who could be in LA alongside Doncic (who is 26) for years to come. He wrapped up his third season in the league in April, averaging a career-high 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, shooting 66.3% from the field and 52% from the free-throw line. The 2024-25 season was Kessler's first as a full-time starter, as he started in all 58 games he played, averaging a career-high 30 minutes per game. His upside has piqued the interest of several teams outside of the Lakers.

Even though Kessler could be out of LA's range, that doesn't mean Rob Pelinka won't try to acquire the seven-footer. Maybe he'll try to entice the Jazz with throwing Austin Reaves into a package. There are Lakers fans who would adamantly be against that, but given the team's need, it can't be ruled out.

Although it's unlikely that LA will land Kessler, anything can happen in the unpredictable world that is the NBA offseason.