The Utah Jazz and pending restricted free agent Walker Kessler remain far apart in negotiations on a new contract, sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
Utah reportedly offered Kessler a five-year, $140-million deal, though that number is ostensibly less than what the 7-foot-2 center is seeking.
The Jazz have an exclusive negotiating period with Kessler that began with the conclusion of the NBA Finals on Saturday. That will expire on June 30, when Kessler is first permitted to speak with all 29 other teams as a restricted free agent. Utah would still retain the right to match any offer sheets for the young center.
Kessler missed all but the Jazz's first five games of the 2025-26 season after tearing the labrum in his left shoulder in November. The fourth-year big appeared to have taken a step forward before the injury, averaging career highs in scoring (14.4 points), assists (three), and steals (1.4) in the tiny sample size. He also shot a combined 6-of-8 from distance, equaling his total made threes over 58 games in 2024-25 after just five appearances this past year.
His 2.4 blocks per game throughout his career rank second in the NBA in that span behind only San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who's averaging 3.5 rejections after 181 regular-season contests. Kessler's 474 career blocks are the most by any player with 125 or fewer NBA starts since the 2022-23 season.
