Trade Report: Reactions as Walker Kessler is considered ‘close to unavailable’ ahead of deadline after clinching $102M deal

The NBA’s worst-kept secret right now is that the Lakers are buyers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Not only have there been rumors galore, but Anthony Davis went on camera to state that he wanted the team to trade for a center. Los Angeles has little time left to make a move, but with two highly coveted first-round picks, it still has the assets needed to execute a deal. According to longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein in his latest Substack post, while the Lakers are looking for centers before the deadline, don’t expect a move that sends Jazz big Walker Kessler to Los Angeles (emphasis added).

Anthony Davis made it clear last week in an ESPN interview that he would like to see the Lakers to acquire a center who enables Davis to play more minutesat power forward. It’s a sentiment that did not come as news to the Lakers, but they are indeed exploring all of their trade options for a five man after completing the acquisition of swingman Dorian Finney-Smith on Dec. 29. Yet league sources stressed over the weekend that the Lakers are not expected to join the hunt for either Vučević or Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl … while oft-suggested Lakers target Walter Kessler of the Utah Jazz is believed to as close to unavailable as it gets with less than 10 days to go before the trade deadline on Feb. 6 at 3 PM ET

You can’t buy what’s not for sale, and with the Utah Jazz accumulating an absurd level of first-round picks and seeming unmotivated to make a trade, it sounds like the asking price is either too high or unattainable. Through 2031, the Jazz own at least 11 first-round picks.

So, while two more first-round picks would be nice, they don’t seem desperate to sell a player for the additional draft capital. On the season, Kessler is averaging 11.3 points and 11.4 rebounds and would certainly be an upgrade from Jaxson Hayes and the two-way players Trey Jemison III and Christian Koloko. However, if he’s “close to unavailable,” then it doesn’t matter how good he would look in purple and gold.

With the Lakers reportedly unlikely to trade for Nikola Vucevic or Jakob Poeltl, the list of centers likely to be moved seems to be shrinking daily.

If vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka can’t make a trade for a center, some uncomfortable conversations will be taking place after the deadline as to what that means for the Lakers for the rest of this season.