There's been plenty of upside to what the Jazz got back for Kessler, but no one's talked about the upside in what they didn't get back.
Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) battle for a rebound during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) battle for a rebound during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Trading Walker Kessler opens up a whole new can of worms for the Utah Jazz, and yet, the reaction has been mostly positive on their side. They took advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers' desperation, and not just that they took almost all of their draft capital.
Another brilliant wrinkle in the deal was that they didn't have to take back Jarred Vanderbilt, an albatross contract, in the deal. Sam Quinn harped on this on "The Third Apron," calling it a "massive failure" on the Lakers' part that they couldn't even get Utah to take Vanderbilt back.
It further proves how desperate LA was to get Kessler when the chance presented itself. Vanderbilt has more or less been in JJ Redick's doghouse for quite some time now, which is a problem since he's making eight figures both this year and the next.
This has been harped on before, so let's just say this. The Jazz did help the Lakers with their biggest problem, but it came at a great cost. When it was all said and done, the Lakers are now scrambling to get rid of Vanderbilt, as albatrosses are now as detrimental as ever.
However, not bringing Vanderbilt back is actually more brilliant than meets the eye when you think about it.
Jazz created the Vanderbilt problem for LA in the first place
It seems like a distant memory now, but Vanderbilt became a Laker because the Jazz sent him there three years ago. Along with Malik Beasley, Utah sent Vanderbilt to LA in the first trade that technically made Russell Westbrook a Jazzman.
Vanderbilt looked promising at first as a Laker, but the shine was quickly off the apple once he signed on the dotted line for his massive raise. It's fair to say the Lakers would redo that decision without having to think twice in hindsight. To think that Utah avoided Vanderbilt being a problem on their cap sheet and made it the Lakers' problem to deal with is pretty slick work.
Oh, and the pick that the Lakers sent in that deal was then later used in the deal to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. If that isn't a cherry on top of this entire situation, then who knows what is?
There doesn't appeal to be any intel suggesting Utah even considered the thought of taking Vanderbilt in the deal or that the Lakers didn't offer him, but his value is so low that if the Lakers had even mentioned him in trade negotiations, the Jazz would have hung up and laughed.
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