The Los Angeles Lakers took a major gamble this offseason, trading four first-round picks for Walker Kessler and signing him to a four-year, $130 million deal to appease Luka Doncic.
While the final jury is still out on the Lakers’ Kessler move, and likely will be for a while, he’s gotten off to a strong start to the 2026-27 NBA season, which so far is validating the front office’s decision to give up so much for a center who played just five games last year.
However, while the Lakers might be happy right now with the decision to give up a ton of assets and money for Kessler as the new franchise center, there’s still a real chance things go south, according to the latest prediction on the player and franchise.
Lakers Get Bad News If Walker Kessler Prediction Is True
Even with Kessler’s hot start to the season, seemingly doing everything the Lakers were looking for in a new big man this offseason, according to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, the team is still going to end up regretting the decision to get him.
“The point here is that the Lakers gave up entirely too much, burning cap space and firing off their last tradable picks for a player who, while very good at his role, is not a needle-moving star,” he wrote. “The desperation that motivated such a reckless move is understandable. The Lakers lost LeBron James and needed to appease Luka Dončić by landing a big man who could anchor the defense and finish inside. Kessler does both well.”
But while the Lakers were in desperate need of a new starting center, the front office gave up valuable draft assets it could have used in a trade for another player. Kessler is pretty much exactly what the team was looking for this summer, but he’s still a limited big man, and though he provides relief in certain aspects of the game, he’s not a complete fix to the team’s issues.
“Unfortunately, Kessler’s niche skills won’t be nearly enough to make Los Angeles relevant in the championship picture. And that’s where a team that just made a trade as consequential as the one that landed him should wind up,” Hughes added. “For the deal to be worth it, Kessler would need to stay healthy all year, feature prominently on the DPOY short list and carry the Lakers to a top-five defensive rating. There’s no way that’s happening.”
Through three games, Kessler is averaging 16.7 points, eight rebounds, 1.3 assists, and three blocks for the Lakers. That includes two strong performances to start the year, but a dud against his old team on Sunday.
Los Angeles Keeps Getting Warned About Star Big Man
Any warnings about Kessler could have been ignored after the Lakers’ first two games of the season, but after scoring just two points against the Utah Jazz, some of the concerns remain.
While he’s been the exact type of player Los Angeles was looking to add this summer, Hughes’ comments aren’t the only time the franchise has been warned about what they gave up eventually not being worth the return they got back.
In fact, it isn’t even the first time he’s warned the Lakers about the Kessler sign-and-trade considering what the front office sent back to the Jazz.
“Justifying that cost is probably beyond Kessler’s ability,” he previously wrote. “He’d need to stay healthier than he has in any of the last three years, land in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year and help turn the Los Angeles Lakers into contenders.”
“Los Angeles paid a superstar price for a quality starter because it was desperate to support Luka Dončić with the kind of paint-patrolling, rim-rolling center he wanted. If this goes badly, a Lakers team that fired all its bullets at the wrong target could wind up losing Dončić to a team that can actually reach contender status,” Hughes added. “You never want to be involved in a trade where everyone agrees the other side absolutely had to say yes.”
Writing for ESPN, Ben Golliver also explained how the Lakers’ ‘bet’ to get Kessler could prove to be the right move, but there’s also a big chance it ‘backfires spectacularly.’
“Here’s what’s so tantalizing about that bet: It could work brilliantly or backfire spectacularly,” he wrote.
“But the Lakers are perilously thin at center behind Kessler, and their frontcourt rotation is largely lacking in proven difference-makers. Los Angeles can no longer count on LeBron James to pick up the slack on offense when Doncic misses time, and any extended absence for Kessler has the potential to send the season off track. With the Lakers’ ownership situation in flux, there’s no telling what the fallout would look like if the costly Kessler acquisition doesn’t pay immediate dividends.”
Right now, and as long as the Lakers keep winning and Kessler plays at a near All-Star level, the sign-and-trade is going to be worth it. However, if he gets hurt or if his production falls off a cliff, as seen in the team’s latest game against Utah, there’s a real chance Los Angeles mortgaged the future for a player that wasn’t worth the price.
It would be bad news for the Lakers in the real start of the Doncic-era for the team, but an exact verdict on the Kessler decision likely won’t come for a bit.
Lakers Dealt Unfortunate Walker Kessler News If Prediction Comes True