Walker Kessler and the Los Angeles Lakers have long been intertwined in the NBA rumor mill as a marriage that felt as though it would happen at some point. That feeling of inevitability will not transform into reality during 2025-26 after the latest news on his injury.
Chris Haynes reported on Twitter/X, "Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler will undergo season-ending left shoulder surgery, league sources tell me."
Kessler will be looking to repair a torn labrum, specifically, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The Utah Jazz center missed the team's last two games as the verdict on his injury was being awaited. Now that it is here, there is a collective disappointment about the result.
The Lakers were linked to Kessler by Jake Fischer most recently, highlighting Los Angeles as a potential destination for the young center when the Jazz failed to reach a rookie-scale extension with him. If that were to happen, it will have to wait until the offseason.
Lakers' search for a center upgrade will need to turn elsewhere
During that same report from Fischer, the NBA insider highlighted that Kessler was being connected to the Lakers once more due to the remaining doubt on whether Deandre Ayton was the long-term answer at center. If that is still the case in the summer, Rob Pelinka could take a swing at giving the restricted free agent an offer sheet that Utah would not match.
Until then, any in-season upgrades in the frontcourt will have to come from a team that is not the Jazz. With Ayton quickly rewriting the narrative about his ability as a starter for the Lakers, the main focus would be the backup center spot.
Jaxson Hayes has held his own, so far, when called upon. Some issues, like the foul trouble, remain persistent as ever. Otherwise, the on-court production has not looked too dreadful thus far.
GOT IT 🎯
First three as a Laker for Jaxson Hayes pic.twitter.com/JVCCjAXem8
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 3, 2025
Hayes is averaging 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, a career-high 2.0 assists, and 0.6 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game. His 76.5 percent from the field would also be the highest mark of his career during his time in the NBA.
Hayes is not the most inspiring option to have check in behind Ayton. The Lakers quickly found out how unreliable of a utility that was in last season's NBA Playoffs. However, in smaller doses, the gamble of how quickly the backup center will rack up fouls is a far less troublesome one.
Pelinka and company can still certainly benefit from making the upgrade there. Luka Doncic clearly loves having two very playable centers, as his time with the Dallas Mavericks has proven. However, there are other needs on this roster that also demand attention.