Thus far, the Los Angeles Lakers' free agency moves have left a lot to be desired. They lost Dorian Finney-Smith but replaced him with Jake LaRavia and added the questionable Deandre Ayton.
However, the Lakers have continued to be linked to Utah Jazz center and defensive ace Walker Kessler. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, the Jazz are looking for two first-round picks and a young player in exchange for Kessler.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, as Budha points out, they don't have the necessary assets to land him, at least at the moment. They currently only have one tradeable first-round pick, a pick swap, and a young project in Dalton Knecht.
That may close the door on the Lakers' dream of landing Kessler. The idea of him made sense considering that he is still on his rookie-scale contract and would be easy to match salaries with.
The Lakers may have another way to trade for Walker Kessler
CBS Sports' Sam Quinn believes the Lakers have a way to trade for Kessler after all, though it will take some creativity. They could trade a distant pick swap to a team flush with draft picks for an actual first-rounder.
The Clippers worked around this in the James Harden trade by giving a swap to the Thunder for a pick.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) July 2, 2025
The Mavericks worked around this in the Daniel Gafford trade by a swap to the Thunder for a pick.
This is a solvable problem. Call the Thunder or the Spurs or the Nets. https://t.co/e4dgjcASP3
For instance, they could trade for one of the Brooklyn Nets' future first-round picks, including the ones they received from the New York Knicks, by offering up an unprotected 2032 pick swap.
That would give the Lakers an extra first-round pick that they can package with their 2029 selection and Knecht to try and trade for Kessler. In that scenario, they would have both Kessler and Ayton, giving them a far better front-court rotation with Kessler likely starting.
He is clearly the better defender of the two, though Ayton is more athletic and more of a traditional rim-running big man. Those players tend to thrive playing with Dončić, giving them the best of both worlds.
The Lakers have a more affordable trade option
It's an intriguing thought and not far-fetched considering that the Phoenix Suns recently traded a distant first-round pick to pick up three first-rounders. The Lakers don't project to be as disastrous as the Suns in the near future.
But trading a pick that is seven years away from conveying might be appealing to the Nets. After all, they have plenty of assets and could hope that the Lakers are awful at that point, making this hypothetical deal worthwhile to them.
Then again, the Lakers front office has been pretty risk-averse and may opt for a smaller trade. With Ayton joining the team, they might need to change their strategy. Nick Richards of the Phoenix Suns would be an affordable option.
After all, he went from starting last season for the Suns to potentially being the third-string center behind Mark Williams and Kharman Maluach. If they can trade Knecht for Richard straight up, then the Lakers should make that move.