When you saw the full details of the sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Jazz, one of the first things you thought had to do with how much LA gave up. And since then, you've probably seen at least 10,000 articles and tweets (if you're still active on whatever that platform is now) calling it a major overpay.
It's similar to what went down between the Knicks and Nets in 2024, when New York sent Brooklyn five first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick for Mikal Bridges. It was a steep price for a player who had never made an All-Star team, and probably never will.
Kessler and Bridges are two completely different players, and the Lakers' situation is different than what the Knicks' was, but you can still draw parallels between the two deals.
Los Angeles' new center will already have to deal with the pressure of playing for an organization like the Lakers, something he isn't used to after spending the first few years of his career in Utah. And on top of that, he'll be put under an even harsher spotlight because of what LA gave up for him (two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps), just as Bridges was.
Walker Kessler will be judged by what Lakers gave up for him
The outside expectation for Bridges in New York was that he needed to drop at least 30 points in every game and record five steals on top of that, all without letting the player he guarded score as much as a single point. It didn't matter that, like any other player on a new team, he needed time to acclimate. He needed to produce on day one. All of that is just me being a little dramatic.
Bridges' first season with the Knicks was a roller coaster. Every single time he had a bad game or made a bad play, the picks New York gave up for him became a topic of conversation once again. It happened over and over. That was still the case in 2025-26. It felt like there was a dark cloud hovering over not just him, as unfair as that was, considering he didn't trade for himself.
Kessler needs to be ready to deal with the same. If he doesn't play well enough in the first game with the Lakers, the takes will be flying. It doesn't matter what other people say, but it's hard for something like that not to weigh on a player, especially over time.
New York ended the nonstop chatter about giving up way too much for Bridges by winning a championship. The wing was in tears after the final buzzer sounded, which, of course, isn't unusual, considering the circumstances, but it also could've had something to do with feeling the pressure lift off his shoulders. He did have a carefree disposition about him in the days after (see Instagram Live).
Of course, the hope is that Kessler and the Lakers will reach the same heights, but you can't hold him to that. If you want to point the finger at someone, do it at Pelinka, but hopefully, the center and Los Angeles will one day get to enjoy a result similar to Bridges and New York.
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