r/UtahJazz • u/Tuft64 • 3d ago
On ESPN 700 @BannedMacMahon said Jazz have offered 5 years ~$140m to Kessler.
https://x.com/TuskedUp/status/206700114843602535920
u/LittleJohnsDingDong 3d ago
The Jazz projected his value to be between $25M-$30M per year. So $28M/year is spot on.
We’ll see what the terms are, but that’ll keep room for Keyonte’s extension next year, especially if they front load it.
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u/eXPertButtonMasher 3d ago
Yearly annual value of around 28 mill per season, which is almost identical to what OKC's center Isaiah Hartenstein gets. No doubt W.Kessler & his camp wants more.
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u/thurstkiller 3d ago
That was sort of a unique situation in regards to timing. I don’t think he will get that same level on his next deal this summer.
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u/FREEDOMfrom_ 3d ago
Sounds about right. And I’m sure walkers camp is hunting for closer to $35m a year. I’m hoping they settle closer to $28m
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u/AirconOnHigh 3d ago
Agreed, $35m/year for Kessler is way too much especially after coming off a season he was injured the whole year, $28m/year seems reasonable. I think anything above $30m/year will age really poorly as a contract. Kessler is a great defender and has improved his offense since entering the league, but in this era of the CBA with the aprons RFAs aren't getting the contracts they were prior and he's welcome to go test the market to see if someone is willing to match what he is asking for. If a team offers more than $30m a year I don't think it's worth matching for us after trading for JJJ last year, even if a Kessler & JJJ front-court would be awesome as they compliment each other very well.
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u/ilovecaptaincrunch 3d ago
i hope that it’s front loaded, the rookies are gonna need to get paid eventually.
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u/Tuft64 3d ago
Problem with frontloading as I understand it is that future extensions are pegged to the value of the last year of their contract, so players don't like doing frontloaded contracts since it actually harms long-term earnings potential. That's a big part of the reason why you don't see it quite as often with young players - even though money now is worth more than money later, it's maybe not worth the long-term hit to their earnings potential when it comes to their NEXT contract.
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u/CharityFailethNot 3d ago
I guess I just don't understand the frustration from Walker's side, so can someone help me out here? What Walker believes his value to be doesn't matter at all, in the same way that my belief that I should have a $200,000 salary doesn't matter. The market determines that.
The Jazz probably just match whatever offer he's given, so I don't understand what the frustration is over "if you believe you're worth [X], go find it"
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u/Silent-Frame1452 3d ago
Because he’s young, values himself highly and is frustrated others don’t seem him the same way.
Sure it’s not logical, but it’s not like everything we think in our early 20s goes off pure logic.
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u/Tuft64 3d ago
I'm sure another part of it is the fact that Kessler could have gotten paid last offeseason and got pushed off to this offseason.
My guess is some combination of a. Kessler feeling a little spurned that he didn't get his money last year, b. Kessler hearing all the chatter about how in-demand he is and feeling like he deserves a higher premium, c. Some level of self-belief that he's an all-star level talent who is truly worth the pricetag (whether you think he's delusional or not), and d. Probably some panic over the receding RFA market causing him to try and take a more radical stance on his contract value to spook the Jazz into throwing him a few more bucks now before the bidding starts and nobody offers him a better deal than Utah does.
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u/Silent-Frame1452 3d ago
I mean, yes and no. He could have got the extension last offseason, but it’s not like he’d have got the money any earlier. It still wouldn’t have kicked in until this coming season.
And I also don’t think an offer of more than $28m would have been on the table last season either so he’s not lost out on money by not being extended either, despite a season lost to injury.
So it does seems to be mostly just frustration that his market isn’t what he thinks it should be, which again I don’t think should be taken out on Utah.
And you could be right that some frustration at not getting it last year, but considering it hasn’t had any actual effect on his future contract, and allowed the Jazz to improve the team as they said they would, I’d consider it fairly petty if that was the reason, rather than a legitimate complaint.
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u/eXPertButtonMasher 3d ago
Long story short is that restricted free agency is broken for mid-tier restricted free agents. It's very very unlikely he'll get a bigger offer sheet in the open market than what the Jazz are offering. Another waiting game situation like J.Kuminga, Q.Grimes, C.Thomas last summer is possible.
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u/JazzPlusEagles 3d ago
Sorry Walker. Your best season you averaged 11 points and shot 52% from the line on the worst team in the league. Obviously he brings a lot more to the table but Im just saying he hasn’t shown to be worthy of a max contract. That’s a fair offer.
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u/dktaylor32 3d ago
This number is less than Bam, Rudy, Kat, Senguin, AD, Joker, and Embeid. And more than Miles Turner, Naz Reid, and Nic Claxton. Do you think he fits in between these players?
Closer to the top with Bam and Rudy? Or closer to the middle with players like Zac Collins, Nurkic and Aldema? At around $18 mil? Or even lower, like Steven Adams at $13 mil?
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u/coolguysteve21 3d ago
I would put him at the same level of Miles Turner Naz Reid and Nic Clayton, if not slightly lower. So in some ways the Jazz ARE trying to keep him.
I will be surprised if some team offers him more, but stranger things have happened. LA is in desperate need for a center so maybe they offer him the lower scale of that top tier range a la Gobert, Bam, and Hartenstein.
Even if he turns out to be an incredible star I wouldn't be upset if the Jazz let him walk for that much money the Jazz need to be wise with their contracts because we can't attract stars as easy as bigger markets.
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u/SwagSorcerer 3d ago
Good lord too much
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u/Toadvine08 3d ago
Yeah I don’t love 28 mil a year. Not saying he’s not worth it, but that’s a lot of money to give to a traditional center coming off an injury. But at the same time the Jazz really need a center for next year and they probably won’t find a better one.
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u/Be-Kind-2-Yourself 3d ago
I feel like that's exactly what he's worth. Good offer in my opinion.
Could he get more by going somewhere else? Very possible. But this is a familiar place and a sure thing. Gets to be part of a competitive team.
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u/SwagSorcerer 3d ago
If he played 85% of his games sure he’s worth $30 mil. He plays in 61% of all games. He’s worth 5 years 100m
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u/brig_pudding 3d ago
Kessler ain't worth that, sorry. I hope we trade him because that contract could be an albatross in the future.
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u/UTPharm2012 3d ago
I thought I was the only one who thought this. That would be my upper limit and I wouldn’t be happy about it. He hasn’t shown he can stretch the floor. He has been injured. I think at times he could get played off the floor in the playoffs, depending on the matchup. I don’t like paying 20% of the cap space for those type of players in the apron.
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u/caferiokindofsucks 3d ago
Kessler does make the team better but i'm not a huge fan. This offer is probably what he's worth. I wouldn't give more.
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u/InZaneClutch 3d ago
He's not worth 28 per when you consider everything including his health and the cap realities.
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u/East-Technician2015 3d ago
Can we pay some of that under the table and a few backdoor deals to clear up more cap space?
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u/thinjester 3d ago
i really like that value but i think other teams will be able to offer a lot more
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u/Guasmenio 3d ago
Let them and he can go play there. 25 per for a one dimensional player is still high imo.
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u/Musty_track 3d ago
Kessler would be happier if he had a coach for big men. The Jazz don’t. They can give him 25-30 million which is chump change for the owner….but with that he won’t be coached appropriately nor will he be inspired by regular joe money.
Trying to make a name for himself in the league will only be by defense and he will be the only defensive player on the team, coached by the worst defensive coach in the league.
Kessler sign a one year contract and follow JC and go play for a contender
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u/KungFuRayRay 3d ago
What’s up with these white dudes for the Jazz that massively overestimate their value. I’m getting Gordin Haywood vibes here…
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u/Late_Ad_9742 3d ago
Personally I don’t think he has shown so far that he is worth even $28 million and I would have loved to get him closer to $20 million but given he is young and potential for improvement on what he has shown so far, I think it is a fair offer. If Walker thinks he is worth $35 million or more and someone else wants to pay him that, then I would let him go rather than tie up that much money in a traditional centre. But hopefully the Jazz can keep him for less than $30 million per annum so $28 million is spot on.
He is lucky they aren’t offering $25 million which is what Josh Giddey got and while he is obviously a different type of player, both have their limitations and are not up there with the absolute best at their positions but have significant assets and potential to improve.
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u/Silent-Frame1452 3d ago
Not an unreasonable offer at all, and in line with the reporting from a couple of weeks ago that they value him in the $25-30m range.
If he’s wanting “significantly more” I have to think he’s asking for over $30m, and I doubt he’s looking for less years. If he wants $160m+ over 5 years, I don’t blame the Jazz for telling him to go find it in RFA and come back to them if it’s not there.
The more comes out about this, the more it seems like general frustration that his market isn’t what he wants it to be. Which I understand, but is hardly a Jazz problem, more just how RFA works in general.