Lakers land Walker Kessler in sign-and-trade deal with Jazz

Walker Kessler is ticketed for the Lakers in a sign-and-trade agreement with the Utah Jazz that includes a new four-year, $130 million deal in Los Angeles, according to multiple reports.

Kessler is a restricted free agent but was in Los Angeles to meet with team president Rob Pelinka as the league free agent moratorium opened on Wednesday.

ESPN reported the trade sends draft picks back to Utah, where CEO Danny Ainge has long coveted the assets. The Jazz are expected to receive two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030, according to the report.

Limited to five games last season due to a shoulder injury, Kessler played in 58 games in 2024-25 and averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

Kessler, 24, is an athletic 7-footer and runs the floor well with agility as a defender and pick-and-roll option. He's a career 68.1% shooter from the field and averaged 2.4 blocks per game with Utah after being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis selected Kessler with the No. 22 pick in the 2022 draft out of Auburn.

The Lakers also reportedly reached agreements with big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton.

Mamukelashvili, 27, agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with a player option for the fourth season, per ESPN. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 80 games (13 starts) with the Toronto Raptors in 2025-26.

Grimes, 26, reached a four-year, $60 million deal with the Lakers that includes a player option, ESPN reported. He posted 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 75 games (19 starts0 for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2025-26.

Sexton, 27, agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract, according to multiple reports. He split last season with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls and averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 assists in 68 games (22 starts).

--Field Level Media