NBA Trade Rumors: Insider crushes Lakers fans' Walker Kessler dreams amid back-and-forth on extension with Jazz  

The LA Lakers fan base found a ray of hope in its long quest to see Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler in the Purple and Gold on Wednesday. The latest report from The Athletic said that Utah and Kessler won't agree to a rookie-scale extension this summer, making him a restricted free agent next year.

“The Utah Jazz and Walker Kessler will not reach an agreement on a rookie-scale contract extension, league sources tell The Athletic, which clears the way for the starting center to reach restricted free agency next summer," the report read.

Considering how restricted free agency played out this season for Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas, the prospect of Kessler leaving seemed promising.

However, insider Jake Weinbach crushed the Lakers' fans' dreams with an insight into why it's not surprising for the Jazz to take this route with the former first-round pick.

"The Jazz can preserve cap space by waiting until next offseason to extend Walker Kessler when he’d be a restricted free agent, so I wouldn’t read too much into this," he wrote.

Nevertheless, Weinbach didn't rule out the Jazz listening to offers for Kessler. He predicted their asking price to remain steep in trade talks, something that would "blow away" the Danny Ainge-led front office.

Jake Weinbach

@JWeinbachNBA

The Jazz can preserve cap space by waiting until next offseason to extend Walker Kessler when he’d be a restricted free agent, so I wouldn’t read too much into this.​Utah should still be open to entertaining offers on the 24-year-old center, but I wouldn’t expect them to lower his value if an agreement on a rookie-scale extension can’t be reached before the season. The Jazz would still need to be “blown away” by an offer to part ways with Kessler.

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Lakers can wait another year for Walker Kessler

The LA Lakers have put themselves in a comfortable spot to avoid being involved in the Walker Kessler sweepstakes over the next year. They acquired Deandre Ayton off waivers to fill their starting center spot. Ayton can elevate the Lakers' offense with his skill set that fits nicely alongside franchise pillar Luka Doncic.

LA can give it a season-long shot with the former No. 1 pick and wait to see how the Kessler situation unfolds next offseason. By then, LA will have access to multiple first-round picks. Not just that, it can also use Austin Reaves' sign-and-trade, should his tandem with Doncic not hit the expectations for a second straight year, especially in the postseason.

The Lakers' main priority for now remains to find viable solutions to bolster their perimeter defense. They are reportedly chasing another No. 1 pick in Andrew Wiggins, but they remain far apart on talks with the Miami Heat.