Jazz Expected to Listen to Offers for Walker Kessler. Could the Lakers Make a deal?

The Lakers badly need a center. Everyone knows it. 

Walker Kessler is a very good young pivot who rebounds, can catch a lob and has fantastic defensive metrics. He's the kind of player a team could build around. Buuuuuuuuut, reports out of Utah say they're listening to everything this offseason. Some guys (Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, John Collins) might be available, but someone like Kessler? For the right deal, they'd listen. 

Of course, the "right" deal in this context would mean the proverbial Godfather offer. Something Utah can't refuse. Can the Lakers even assemble a deal like that, whether for Kessler or anyone else? It's the bind LA is in. The best they could do would be Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura a pick and some swaps. 

That's obviously more than you'd want to give up for Kessler, but the question becomes relevant when trying to figure out how the Lakers compete with other teams putting together their best offer. The Lakers and Utah would be interesting trade partners, and if they're trying to get better (as the Lakers are) Reaves could be a fit. But then again, if they're trying to win, why would Utah trade Kessler? And if they're not trying to win and decide to continue stockpiling assets, then Reaves feels less logical, given that he's already 27 and about to get paid. 

LA's biggest trade chip is Reaves, but he might not have a universal market. It's tricky! 

So if the Lakers can't get Kessler, and they likely can't, there's a good chance they have to settle for a player that doesn't tick all the boxes. If that's the case, which boxes are most important? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Walker Kessler is available... but not really. 

 

SEGMENT 2: Do the Lakers have a "Godfather Offer" to make for him, or anyone else? 

 

SEGMENT 3: What qualities matter most in a C? 

 

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