Lakers officially announce a 4-for-1 trade! Kessler to wear No. 14, Pelinka highlights three key traits

On July 9, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Lakers officially confirmed the acquisition of center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz through a trade. The Lakers gave up two future first-round selections and two future first-round pick swaps in the deal. Kessler will don the purple-and-gold No. 14 jersey for the upcoming season. Per prior reports, Kessler agreed to a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers.

Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka stated: "The foundation of every elite team relies on a dominant interior presence. At just 24 years old, Walker Kessler has already established himself among the top two-way centers in the league. When we had the opportunity to acquire a big man who excels at rim protection and alley-oops, pairing him with two of the best pick-and-roll initiators in Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, we seized the moment.He perfectly embodies the three core qualities we value most in players: outstanding character, extremely high basketball IQ, and elite competitive drive.He will usher in a new era for the Lakers. We are incredibly proud to have a player with Walker's unique skill set."

Kessler stands 7'1" (2.18 m) and weighs 245 lbs (111 kg). He missed most of the 2025-26 season due to injury. In the 2024-25 season, he started all 58 regular-season games he played for the Jazz, averaging 30 minutes per game and posting 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks. That season, he led the league with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game, ranked second in blocks, and fifth in rebounds.

Over four NBA seasons with the Jazz from 2022 to 2026, Kessler appeared in 201 regular-season games (125 starts), averaging 25.3 minutes, 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks. His career field goal percentage of 68.1% is the highest in Jazz franchise history. He averaged at least 2 blocks per game in each of his first three seasons, becoming the first player to do so since Tim Duncan from 1997-2000. Since entering the league in the 2022-23 season, only Victor Wembanyama has averaged more blocks per game than Kessler.

In his 2022-23 rookie season, the Georgia native was named to the All-Rookie First Team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. That season, he played 74 games (40 starts), averaging 23 minutes with 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. He led all rookies in total blocks and field goal percentage (72.0%), and ranked second in rebounds. He became the eighth rookie in NBA history to record at least four games with seven or more blocks in a single season, the first since Duncan in 1997-98.

Kessler reached the 1,000-career-rebound milestone in just 126 regular-season games, the fastest in Jazz history aside from Hall of Famer Karl Malone (102 games). He was selected to the Rising Stars Challenge in both 2023 and 2024.

In the 2022 NBA Draft, Kessler was selected 22nd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded to the Jazz on draft night. In college, he played one season (2020-21) at the University of North Carolina before transferring to Auburn University, where he won the 2022 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year awards.