The Los Angeles Lakers traded two unprotected first-round draft picks and two first-round swaps to get Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. It was a bold move to get Luka Doncic the center he desired, but fans were questioning the price tag required. For that, blame Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs superstar's rise to arguably the best player on the planet has every team searching for a big man who can match up. With Wemby winning the West and announcing himself as elite, there was even more pressure.
Look at the entire center market. Mitchell Robinson got $47.3 million over the next three years, despite playing under 20 minutes per game for the last two seasons. Mark Williams got three years and $38 million as the Suns overlooked his lengthy injury history. Even Jusuf Nurkic got a two-year, $22 million deal, despite averaging 24.5 minutes per game over his 12-year NBA career.
Every team is searching for options at the five. The Warriors ushered in an era of shooting and position-less basketball, but the big man is back. Wemby is leading the charge, but the other top six seeds in the West all have a standout center. The Lakers had to fill this hole in a seller’s market.
Victor Wembanyama’s breakout raised the price for Walker Kessler
There was talk of teams going for the max or min route at the center position just a few years ago. The theory being a team wants a true game-changer or a minimum player because the difference between the mid-tier and the players on minimums was not worth the salary paid. Now, teams are paying handsomely to acquire a mid-tier option. They know they need someone to take on Wemby and Nikola Jokic.
Walker Kessler instantly got a $130 million contract on top of the draft capital Los Angeles gave up. They are committing to the 7’2 big man being their number three behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He is an elite rim-protector and rebounder that fills the void at the five. Kessler is a quality starter with room to grow, but he is not an All-Star.
Trading for Kessler prevented Los Angeles from bargain shopping. Jaylen Brown, a five-time All-Star, was traded for significantly less. The Brown deal certainly made the Lakers trade look worse, but Brown is a wing. Nobody was acquiring a center on the cheap because there are only a handful of difference-making big men.
There are only six star centers. Wemby, Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, and Alperen Sengun. Jalen Duren is pushing toward that tier, but falls into the second group with Rudy Gobert, Jarrett Allen, and Domantas Sabonis. Those are the top ten. Beyond that, teams just want a quality starter that fits their build.
Even a third-tier center like Kessler is costly. The Pacers just gave up the fifth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, an unprotected 2029 first, one second-round pick, Bennedict Mathurin, and Isaiah Jackson at the deadline to land Ivica Zubac from the Clippers. Zubac is a plus defender and quality starter, but he doesn’t have the upside to grow into a star like Kessler.
There are 30 teams and 15 starting centers that contenders desire. It is a have-and-have-nots position. All of the top teams feel the pressure to find someone because of Victor Wembanyama. The Thunder increased their size by drafting Aday Mara in the lottery. Even San Antonio took two big men in the draft. Centers are back and quickly becoming the most important position in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers got their answer in Walker Kessler. They were forced to pay a hefty price to acquire him, but that would always be the case. It was shocking to see the Jazz part ways with the 24-year-old big man. Every team needs a difference-making center to matchup against Wemby, so the prices are sky high.
The Spurs superstar is just getting started, so don’t expect the market to be fluctuating any time soon. LA had to pay the price to make Luka happy and give themselves a shot to compete for the title.
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