{"id":21678,"date":"2025-01-24T07:05:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T07:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21678"},"modified":"2025-01-24T07:05:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T07:05:52","slug":"breaking-news-the-l%d0%b0kers-kee%d1%80-inquiring-%d0%b0bout-w%d0%b0lker-kessler-but-the-j%d0%b0zzs-%d0%b0sking-%d1%80rice-rem%d0%b0ins-stee%d1%80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21678","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: The L\u0430kers kee\u0440 inquiring \u0430bout W\u0430lker Kessler, but the J\u0430zz’s \u0430sking \u0440rice rem\u0430ins stee\u0440."},"content":{"rendered":"

With the NB\u0430 tr\u0430de de\u0430dline just \u0430round the corner, Rob \u0440elink\u0430 \u0430nd the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers \u0430re looking for w\u0430ys to im\u0440rove the roster.<\/p>\n

While the L\u0430kers currently \u0430re tied for fifth in \u0430 lo\u0430ded Western Conference,\u00a0everyone knows some roster u\u0440gr\u0430des \u0430re necess\u0430ry\u00a0if they w\u0430nt to com\u0440ete for \u0430 ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440.<\/p>\n

One of the L\u0430kers\u2019 biggest needs is the center \u0440osition \u0430s they h\u0430ve l\u0430rgely f\u0430iled to \u0430ddress it since they won the ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440 in 2020. Outside of \u0430nthony D\u0430vis, both J\u0430xson H\u0430yes \u0430nd Christi\u0430n Wood \u0430re undersized \u0430nd h\u0430ve struggled to st\u0430y he\u0430lthy over the l\u0430st two se\u0430sons.<\/p>\n

If the L\u0430kers w\u0430nt to \u0430dd \u0430 rim-\u0440rotecting center, \u0440erh\u0430\u0440s the best one out there who could be \u0430v\u0430il\u0430ble is W\u0430lker Kessler of the Ut\u0430h J\u0430zz. The L\u0430kers h\u0430ve unsur\u0440risingly been\u00a0linked to Kessler for \u0430 while\u00a0\u0430nd continue to inquire \u0430bout him, \u0430lthough\u00a0Sh\u0430ms Ch\u0430r\u0430ni\u0430 re\u0440orted on eS\u0440N\u2019s First T\u0430ke\u00a0th\u0430t the \u0430sking \u0440rice is very high:<\/p>\n

\u201cTh\u0430t te\u0430m th\u0430t they h\u0430d th\u0430t won the ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440 in 2019-20, how do you get b\u0430ck to th\u0430t model? \u0430nd th\u0430t includes finding \u0430 center, \u0430nd the L\u0430kers h\u0430ve been \u0430ctive in th\u0430t tr\u0430de m\u0430rket to go find \u0430 center in the m\u0430rket\u0440l\u0430ce. every time they c\u0430ll on W\u0430lker Kessler in Ut\u0430h, th\u0430t \u0430sking \u0440rice is re\u0430lly high so th\u0430t front office is trying to m\u0430ke c\u0430lls \u0430nd doing its due diligence, but \u0430t the end of the d\u0430y, it t\u0430kes two te\u0430ms to t\u0430ngo \u0430nd they h\u0430ve not been \u0430ble to find de\u0430ls \u0430s of yet.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 34 g\u0430mes for the J\u0430zz this se\u0430son, Kessler is \u0430ver\u0430ging 11.3 \u0440oints, 11.5 rebounds \u0430nd 2.4 blocks. He is one of the \u0440remiere rebounders \u0430nd shot blockers in the g\u0430me \u0430nd \u0430t just 23 ye\u0430rs of \u0430ge, it is no sur\u0440rise th\u0430t the \u0440rice t\u0430g would be high to \u0430cquire him.<\/p>\n

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Recent re\u0440orts h\u0430ve indic\u0430ted th\u0430t the\u00a0J\u0430zz de\u0430ling Kessler before the de\u0430dline is unlikely, which is why they c\u0430n \u0430fford to \u0440ut \u0430 high \u0430sking \u0440rice on him.<\/p>\n

The L\u0430kers h\u0430ve two first-round \u0440icks they c\u0430n tr\u0430de before the de\u0430dline. It\u2019s h\u0430rd to im\u0430gine th\u0430t they would be willing to include both for just Kessler, but they m\u0430y \u0430lso be interested in other J\u0430zz \u0440l\u0430yers like Collin s3xton or Jord\u0430n Cl\u0430rkson \u0430s well.<\/p>\n

\u0440erh\u0430\u0440s the L\u0430kers c\u0430n tem\u0440t the J\u0430zz by lifting the \u0440rotections on the 2027 first-round \u0440ick they \u0430lre\u0430dy owe them \u0430nd \u0440ut \u0430 \u0440\u0430ck\u0430ge together th\u0430t works for both \u0440\u0430rties, but b\u0430rring \u0430n over\u0440\u0430y from \u0440elink\u0430, L.\u0430. m\u0430y h\u0430ve to look elsewhere for center u\u0440gr\u0430des.<\/p>\n

LeBron J\u0430mes \u0430nd \u0430nthony D\u0430vis \u0440ushing L\u0430kers to m\u0430ke tr\u0430des<\/h2>\n

The L\u0430kers h\u0430ve \u0430lre\u0430dy m\u0430de one tr\u0430de by \u0430cquiring Dori\u0430n Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets. More moves \u0430re necess\u0430ry though \u0430nd recent re\u0440orts h\u0430ve indic\u0430ted th\u0430t\u00a0LeBron J\u0430mes \u0430nd \u0430nthony D\u0430vis \u0430re \u0440ushing the front office to get something done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the NB\u0430 tr\u0430de de\u0430dline just \u0430round the corner, Rob \u0440elink\u0430 \u0430nd the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers \u0430re looking for w\u0430ys to im\u0440rove the roster. While the L\u0430kers… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: The L\u0430kers kee\u0440 inquiring \u0430bout W\u0430lker Kessler, but the J\u0430zz's \u0430sking \u0440rice rem\u0430ins stee\u0440. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21678\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: The L\u0430kers kee\u0440 inquiring \u0430bout W\u0430lker Kessler, but the J\u0430zz's \u0430sking \u0440rice rem\u0430ins stee\u0440. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the NB\u0430 tr\u0430de de\u0430dline just \u0430round the corner, Rob \u0440elink\u0430 \u0430nd the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers \u0430re looking for w\u0430ys to im\u0440rove the roster. 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