Walker Kessler has proven himself with the Utah Jazz, but there still appears to be some uncertainty as to whether the team plans to keep him long-term. Rumor has it that Kessler’s hanging around isn’t an open and shut case. One of the only ways the Jazz could trade Kessler is if they get a gold pick for him, and one team that could offer that is the Indiana Pacers.
Bringing up the Pacers sounds random, but it turns out they could very well be a Kessler suitor. KSL’s Ben Anderson revealed that Indiana liked Kessler, which makes sense considering what they lost. Here’s what Anderson had to say about the situation at the Podcast ‘Jazz Notes’and transcribed by James Hansen of SLC Dunk.
“I’ve heard the Indiana Pacers have been asking about Walker Kessler for a long time… a lot. That goes back to the summer, they lost Myles Turner… before the injury and even after the injury… This isn’t anyone on the Jazz, but other people who have similar jobs to me have heard similar things,” Anderson said.
But would the Jazz really trade Kessler to the team that was one win away from an NBA title six months ago? No, but they would consider trading Kessler if it means getting a high lottery pick from the Pacers this year.
The Jazz are said to be considering trading Kessler for a high lottery pick
The Jazz are in a no-win situation this year: They haven’t been nearly as bad as last year, but they haven’t stepped up too much to be a surefire playoff contender, which makes it difficult to pinpoint where exactly they’re going this season.
The Pacers, on the other hand, have been undeniably terrible, and that’s what happens to teams that lose their best player of the season with an Achilles injury (exacerbated by the departure of Myles Turner). So it makes sense that they want Kessler, who isn’t the same player as Turner, but who can replace what he does overall (and might be an upgrade).
If the Pacers keep up this pace (no pun intended), they will be in line for a high lottery pick. However, they are a team that has shown how deadly they can be at full strength, so what would be the point of developing young talent for them, which would take time, if their full strength squad is now ready to win? That’s where trading a high pick for an impactful, ready-made veteran like Kessler wouldn’t be the worst move for Indiana.
It would definitely take more than Kessler to get a deal done, but that just adds to the beauty of it. The Jazz have a lot of assets to offer the Pacers that they could use down the road to get more reinforcements besides Kessler.
Even though it’s not certain that Kessler will stay, Utah has a say in what happens next in his career. A betting man would say a Jazzman, but if the Pacers call up and they land a high lottery pick from a loaded class, that’s one of the few scenarios in which the Jazz would make an exception.
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