The Utah Jazz decided to wait until next season to resolve Walker Kessler’s contract situation. For what it’s worth, Kessler has proven he’s a keeper, and it’s clear Utah wants to keep him. When the day comes that he gets what he wants, Kessler expects a contract worth well over $100 million over the next five years, which is quite a bit of value for someone like him.
Former NBA executive and ESPN’s Bobby Marks predicted what kind of contract extension Kessler might agree to with Utah.
“Five years, $116 million. The extension would be a win-win for both parties. For Kessler, the $20 million starting salary will be in the top 15 among all centers next season. The Jazz, on the other hand, would only lose $4 million in cap flexibility next summer,” Marks wrote.
Frankly, a contract like that is quite adequate for someone like Kessler. He probably won’t make All-Star teams (although to be fair, the West is simply too loaded with talent to break through), but Kessler has shown enough as a rim protector and offensive rebounder (and maybe a passer?!) to certainly warrant an extension as big as that.
The real question will be whether Kessler agrees to that amount, because even if he isn’t a star per se, he isn’t exactly an expendable player on Utah’s roster. He could use this against them in extension talks, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he did, as he expressed his frustration at not getting a new deal during Jazz Media Day.
If Utah can get Kessler on such a deal, that would be fantastic news for them, but it would all depend on whether Kessler himself agrees to that figure.
If Kessler proves anything more, the Jazz will have to pay more
Last season, Kessler had a chip on his shoulder as he wanted to prove that his poor sophomore season was a fluke more than anything. He proved that he is still an up and coming player in the NBA. While the Jazz should be happy to see him return to form next season, waiting until next summer to pay for him could be a problem if he continues to improve from here.
Remember, Utah tried to turn Kessler into a three-point shooter near the end of last season (even though the season was almost over at the time and they only had lottery odds to lose), so the team clearly thinks there might be some aspects of his game that still need to be unlocked.
It’s possible there are still some positive aspects to Kessler that we have yet to see, such as his passing game looking better. If he proves he has a different outfit, he wants more than what Marks projects. However, if the Jazz think they are better off with him on the team, they shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable giving him what he wants.
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