The Boston Celtics need a new center for next season (no offense, Neemias Queta, but it's true), and the perfect candidate may have just surfaced.
According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler is "at odds" with the team's front office due to them not signing him to a contract extension last summer and "the current handling of his restricted free agency."
Difficult day for the Jazz on the optics front: Here you have Darryn Peterson refusing to work out for the team with the No. 2 pick, one year after Ace Bailey did the same (when they had No. 5).
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 15, 2026
Meanwhile, sources tell @TheAthletic that a player who does want to be there - big…
Of course, with Kessler being a restricted free agent, it doesn't give him a whole lot of leverage. Even if he signs a deal with a new team (for the sake of this conversation, we'll say with Boston), the Jazz can match that contract and just keep him around.
However, this doesn't mean that at least a sign-and-trade is off the table (after all, why would the Jazz choose to retain a guy who doesn't want to play with them, especially when they already have Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.?). And if that turns out to be the case, the Celtics should absolutely hit up old friend Danny Ainge and try to make something happen.
Walker Kessler can address a lot of the Celtics' biggest needs
In his four NBA seasons (really three and a fraction since he only played in five games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery), Kessler has averaged 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 1.2 assists while shooting 68.1% from the field in 25.3 minutes. He also finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, behind Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old is a strong paint presence on both sides of the ball. He is a fantastic rim protector and is an efficient scorer. He is also a great rebounder, averaging 4.6 offensive rebounds in each of the last two seasons (which led the league in 2024-25).
While he doesn't stretch the floor much (though not due to a lack of trying -- he is 7-for-26 on three-point attempts in his career, even hitting six of his eight attempts last season), his ability to man the paint on both sides of the ball would be huge for a Celtics team that clearly missed Kristaps Porzingis' rim protection last season.
Trading for Walker Kessler would elevate the Celtics
It's clear that the Celtics need to make some changes this summer. Their roster isn't good enough to win a championship as is, and it's hard to feel good about their chances against the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and whoever else when they couldn't even beat the Philadelphia 76ers after having a 3-1 lead in the first round of last postseason.
But they shouldn't go all out and break up their core (i.e., trading Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo). They need to do whatever they can to support their top guys and just optimize the roster around them.
And acquiring Kessler to be their center of the future would absolutely do that.
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