LAKERS GIVE WALKER KESSLER $130M
POISON PILL OFFER JAZZ CAN'T MATCH
With Walker Kessler complaining about the Jazz's failure to offer an extension and the Lakers talking about bringing back last year's team with a couple major upgrades, the timing is right for LA to make Utah a poison pill offer for their RFA center they cannot match:
4-years $130M w/salaries of $38M, $34M, $30M, $28M,
with AAV of $32.5M
The Jazz already owe JJJ and Lauri $95M next season. Matching the Lakers' offer would mean paying their 3 bigs at total of $133M, which is 80% of the $165M salary cap for next season. That is not a formula for building a future championship team in a small market.
Ultimately, the Jazz could be forced to agree to some form of S&T to avoid screwing up their future cap situation or losing Kessler for nothing. That would enable the Lakers to transform the 4-year $130M hir contract to be more team friendly.
The Lakers would be overpaying Kessler but would likely get Kessler in a S&T for 1 first round and 1 second round pick.
I genuinely feel like him and his agent are trying to force their way to the Lakers