Walker Kessler is about to become a very rich man once NBA free agency wraps up. A very, very, rich man.
Per The Athletic's Tony Jones, "Utah Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler has had meetings with a couple of teams and is headed to another meeting, league sources tell The Athletic. He holds multiple offers in the mid to high 30’s annually, along with structure of his choice, including player options."
The Athletic's Dan Woike later added that, "One of the teams with interest in Kessler, sources tell me, is the Los Angeles Lakers." Putting two and two together, it's clear that the Los Angeles Lakers are the team that's probably preparing the near-$40 million offer for the 24-year-old.
Earlier this month, NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson told me that "Walker Kessler, specifically, is of interest to the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers." Robinson added, "I have also heard Walker Kessler is unhappy in Utah because, what are they doing?" While Kessler is a restricted free agent and his offer sheet from the Lakers could be matched by the Utah Jazz, it doesn't appear that there's interest in a return to the Beehive State.
Walker Kessler's contract could be higher than Jabari Smith's
Kessler's annual salary looks likely to surpass that of his former Auburn Tigers frontcourt counterpart, Jabari Smith, who signed a five-year, $122 million rookie-scale extension with the Houston Rockets. Kessler, unlike Smith, is about to have a bidding war for his services. The Rockets didn't let it get to that with Smith, re-signing him last October.
Coming out of Auburn, most expected Smith to be a franchise player for the Rockets. Smith settled into more of a complementary role next to Alperen Sengun in Houston, though. Kessler was always ticketed to be a defensive anchor whose offensive role was primarily finishing around the rim, but he's done that at such a high level, and what he brings is such an asset in the NBA, that he's about to have a contract that dwarfs Smith's in comparison. Not that it's a competition.
Auburn's footprint in the NBA has vastly expanded
Not that long ago, Chuma Okeke and Isaac Okoro were carrying the Tigers' torch into the NBA during the 21st century. With all due respect to the two of them, their combined NBA earnings will not exceed what Kessler and Smith make combined next season.
Auburn's NBA blueprint is rapidly expanding. Not only are there more players in the Association who once donned the orange and blue, but there are also more household names. Though they were second-round draft picks, perhaps Johni Broome (No. 35 overall in 2025) and current Tigers big man Narcisse Ngoy (No. 57 overall in 2026 as a draft-and-stash) could further strengthen the pipeline. Chaney Johnson just signed a two-way qualifying offer with the Brooklyn Nets, so there are more options out there if the planets could align accordingly.
Of course, those were Bruce Pearl recruits. It'll be on Steven Pearl to build his own portfolio of future NBA greats. Luckily, he learned from the best to ever do it in Lee County, Alabama, and the odds are probably in his favor.
He was there for Kessler, Smith, and all of the Auburn talents currently tearing it up in the pros, after all.
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