The Houston Rockets positioned themselves to be a force in the Western Conference next season by trading for Kevin Durant on Sunday. The Los Angeles Lakers, not wanting to get passed up by yet another foe, have responded by starting the push for their ideal center target, Walker Kessler.
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Lakers are certainly in the mix for the Utah Jazz center. However, the two sides are still only at the early stages of trade negotiations.
Larsen told Leif Thulin of Locked On Jazz, "I think there’s been an offer presented for Walker Kessler. ... Him being their future of the center, giving up multiple picks to get there, that is on the table right now. I don’t know if the Jazz take it. Certainly, they haven’t so far.”
With the Western Conference projecting to be as competitive as ever in 2025-26, the Lakers need all the reinforcements they can get. Kessler has often been looked to as the 'dream center' for this team. Right now is certainly not time time to be backing down from that idea.
Western Conference arms race is well on its way and the Lakers need to keep up
The Western Conference already houses this year's NBA champions after the Oklahoma City Thunder, somewhat predictably, brought home the title. That makes next year's path out of the conference challenging as it is.
The Thunder are in a great position to keep up their success with an already stacked roster and their endless supply of draft capital that can replenish or upgrade the roster at any point. With the experience of a full championship run under their belt, they will only be tougher to compete against.
Now, the Rockets will only increase the threat near the top after adding a two-time Finals MVP. They managed to do so without greatly surrendering their most important pieces either.
Throw the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and others into the mix, and the formidable foes are plentiful. The Lakers learned the tough way too that seeding should not lull them into a false sense of security in the West.
The connection to Kessler has been there for as long as the sun has been up in Los Angeles. The positive developments of late have been a reported willingness from the Jazz's side of the equation for trade conversations in Utah to include him.
Patching up the biggest hole on the roster with an ideal solution like Kessler would be a tremendous way for the Lakers to firmly establish themselves as contenders. However, that does not mean that Utah will make it easy.