New NBA Rumors on Walker Kessler's Jazz Contract Status After Being 'At Odds' amid Lakers Buzz

The Utah Jazz took their first step toward potentially retaining Walker Kessler by extending the qualifying offer to their starting center.

Per The Athletic's Tony Jones, the Jazz gave Kessle the one-year qualifying offer worth $7 million.

The move does allow Kessler to hit restricted free agency, but the Jazz will have the ability to match any potential offer sheet he receives from another club. However, Sam Amick of The Athletic previously reported Kessler was "at odds with the front office" over the lack of an extension offer last year as well as the handling of his restricted free agency.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin recently linked Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kessler missed most of the 2025-26 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in November to repair a torn labrum. The injury could hinder his chances of getting a lucrative long-term deal this summer, but his age and past success suggest there's a lot of upside to work with.

The 24-year-old has shown all the tools to be a long-term building block for the Jazz after they acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Rudy Gobert trade in July 2022. He had his best season in 2024-25 with 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in 58 starts.

Kessler was the only player in the NBA to average at least 4.0 offensive rebounds per game during the 2024-25 campaign. He has also been praised as one of the best young defensive big men in the league.

Only five players allowed a lower field-goal percentage within five feet of the rim than Kessler's 54.8 percent mark during his last full season.

After previously giving a five-year, $238 million extension to Lauri Markkanen, it was assumed Kessler would end up being the next player Utah made a big financial investment in.

The Jazz got a disappointing result in the 2025 draft lottery, dropping to No. 5 despite finishing with the league's worst record and being tied for the best odds, president of basketball operations Austin Ainge vowed the team didn't intend to tank by manipulating lineups and limiting minutes for their best players.

"You won't see that this year," Ainge told reporters on June 2. The Jazz bet on Ace Bailey being happy to play in Utah when he was selected with the fifth pick.

Utah continued to focus on its long-term outlook by being largely noncompetitive in 2025-26, but the arrow is pointing in the right direction with Markkanen, Bailey, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft to build around.

Kessler, who was the subject of trade rumors last summer, could end up being part of that group, but he is at least going to have the chance to test the market if the Jazz want to let another team set his value.