Utah Jazz Center Walker Kessler Reportedly Receiving Obscene Offers in Free Agency

Word on the street has it that Utah Jazz's restricted free agent center, Walker Kessler, is quite the hot commodity on the free agency market. This doesn't come as a complete surprise, as the young big stands over 7 feet tall, can block shots at a level significantly greater than that of just about anyone on the surface of the earth -- Victor Wembanyama-sized exceptions notwithstanding -- and is perhaps one of the league's top rebounds to boot.

When he and the Jazz struggled to find a happy medium in contract negotiations (the Jazz most recently offered Kessler a five-year deal that would notch him just a few million shy of $30 million annually).

Unable to come to terms, the Jazz invited Kessler to explore restricted free agency. That might have been a tremendous mistake, as it seems Kessler's value is extremely high for a number of teams across the league, with Tony Jones of the Athletic reporting that the 7'2" rim protector is receiving offers in the range of $35 million and above.

That's steep.

Especially when considering the lack of accomplishments Kessler has posted in his young NBA career. I don't mean to slander Utah's youngster in the slightest -- by any measure, I believe he's the ideal big for the Jazz moving forward, and whole-heartedly hope that the Jazz can find a suitable number to bring him back to Utah -- but his platform for a pay raise is heavily built upon potential.

Yes, he was the NBA's second-leading shot-blocker two seasons ago, while also flexing top-five rebounding averages as a sophomore, but he spent the entirety of last season on the bench recovering from a season-ending shoulder injury.

Despite flashing some incredible improvement in the beginning of last season, Kessler played just five games. And though it's not fun to admit this, injuries have stifled his availability in all four seasons he's spent in Utah. Playing in just 201 games with the Jazz, he's appeared in 61% of all possible games with the Jazz.

That's a frightening metric for a player commanding what might be an incredibly hefty salary this time next season.

He still struggles on the offensive end, though is improving. Fortunately, his pairing alongside Jaren Jackson Jr and Lauri Markkanen in the Utah frontcourt can mask some of those deficiencies, but only if the Jazz are able -- and willing -- to fork over a huge salary to retain this player who hasn't appeared as an All-Star or All-Defense roster to this point in his career.

To set the record straight, the Jazz would be fools not to pay up if he signs a significant offer sheet, but that doesn't make this any less messy. Hopefully there will be no lingering resentment on either end when free agency is finished.