Walker Kessler trade grades: Lakers get C+ in massive, albeit necessary, overpay; Jazz play it perfectly
The Los Angeles Lakers are trading for Utah Jazz restricted free-agent center Walker Kessler to pair with Luka Dončić, according to ESPN. Kessler is expected to sign a four-year, $130 million deal with Los Angeles.
The Jazz are reportedly getting back unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.
The Lakers created a massive hole at center the moment they traded for Dončić. While the deal itself was a home run, it cost them Anthony Davis, and since his only backup at the time was Jaxson Hayes, they had little size to work with immediately after completing the deal. They acted swiftly at the trade deadline to pursue a long-term big man, trading several draft assets to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams, but once they got a look at Williams up close in his physical exam, they elected to nix the deal.
Last offseason, they signed Deandre Ayton, hoping that the former No. 1 overall pick could be their center of the future. While Ayton improved throughout the season, his inconsistent defense, rebounding and effort made him more of a stopgap than a true solution. With the potential to create genuine max cap space this offseason, the Lakers made it their top priority to find a big to pair with Dončić.
In Kessler, the Lakers are taking a chance on a player they have been linked to for several years now. Kessler is, statistically, one of the most dominant rim-protectors in the NBA. He is an elite offensive rebounder as well, and while the volume is tiny, there have at least been flashes of his potential as a 3-point shooter. He is offensively limited, but is going from a Jazz team that has largely never had strong veteran point guards to a Laker team led by Dončić. He has room to grow on that end of the floor, though his 54.5% shooting from the free-throw line is a significant red flag.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are about to turn a corner from perpetual rebuilder to possible Western Conference contender. However, after re-signing Lauri Markkanen to a max contract in the 2024 offseason and then acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline, they have quite a bit of money invested in their front court. Couple those investments with a rookie extension for Keyonte George, who is now eligible for one, and the Utah roster was about to get pretty expensive if they kept Kessler.
Lakers: C+
Lakers had to make the deal, but paid the price to do so.
This is a huge commitment to Kessler and shows the belief the Lakers have in him as the ideal center to pair with their star backcourt of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. The Lakers were desperate to land the kind of center Dončić has been clamoring for since he arrived and they paid a hefty price to make it happen.
In a vacuum, $130 million, two unprotected firsts and two pick swaps is a lot for Walker Kessler. I am skeptical there's much more of a ceiling for him than what we've already seen, and when you add in the injury issues, there is some real risk here for Los Angeles. A lot of people will see that and grade this even more poorly than I am, but I can at least see the vision (and the spin) from the Lakers' side.
That said, the best way to explain this for the Lakers is to view it in combination with the Dončić trade. Now, the assets you spent all make sense. They were able to acquire Dončić without having to expend much of any draft capital, so to keep him happy and get him his preferred center, it's fine to overpay. There was real pressure on L.A. to get Kessler (or Jalen Duren, who was even less available as a restricted free agent in Detroit) and they weren't about to go through another summer trying to paper over the hole in their frontcourt.
On the court, the fit makes sense. Kessler isn't the bouncy athlete that Dončić loved playing with in Dereck Lively II, but a strong screener and big lob target who doesn't need (or even want) the ball in any other scenario is the ideal offensive pairing for Luka -- and Austin Reaves. Defensively, the Lakers desperately need a rim protector to anchor things in the paint, given the limitations of their backcourt, and Kessler will give them that.
The task for J.J. Redick is optimizing the Lakers' defensive strategy to maximize Kessler's abilities on that end. Expect a heavy dose of drop coverage to keep Kessler near the rim, where he's most effective, and the Lakers will need to figure out how to scramble coverages and be crisp with switching and communicating to keep him close to the paint.
The problem for the Lakers? Given how much money they've now committed to Dončić, Reaves and Kessler, that trio has to be good enough to win a championship with filler around them. They've exhausted their resources to put this group together and there won't be many opportunities to add high-end talent beyond that trio.
Rob Pelinka is now all-in on this group and the pressure is on to bring an 18th title to L.A. with this core. They will need those three to hit their absolute ceilings to make that happen, and color me skeptical that this is a roster good enough to deliver.
Jazz: A
Utah continues stockpiling draft picks in perfectly played negotiations.
The Jazz played this incredibly well -- with an assist from the Detroit Pistons. They set their line with Kessler in extension talks and didn't budge, and with the Pistons making it clear they were going to match anything on Jalen Duren as well, the Lakers had to pay big to prevent Utah from doing the same. Kessler had been in trade rumors for more than a year and the Jazz never had to take a discount to move off of him -- or sign him to a deal they didn't want.
Getting two unprotected firsts way down the road in 2031 and 2033 is big. While the Lakers tend to just roll from one star to the next, those are the most valuable of L.A.'s available picks. Utah keeps stockpiling quality draft assets, with an incoming first-round pick or swap rights in six of the next seven drafts -- 2032 is the only one without. Swaps can be a bit of fool's gold, but they are still valuable trade assets and this deal opens up more avenues for Utah to acquire players both through the draft and in trades.
On the court, the Jazz will take a hit, which is why I don't give this a full A+. There isn't an obvious pivot away from Kessler on the market after the recent run on bigs, and while they created some insurance by re-signing Jusuf Nurkić, they will miss Kessler's rebounding and rim protection. We'll see some small-ball lineups with Jaren Jackson Jr. at the five and the Jazz will likely sign another center to add depth, but for a team planning on taking a leap next year, losing Kessler will lower their ceiling for 2025-26.
That said, even if they're ready to take a step forward now, this is still a team thinking long-term. They can keep evaluating their roster and figure out the best possible fit for their young core, which now features No. 2 overall draft pick Darryn Peterson, and have the ammunition to be aggressive when an opportunity presents itself to add a big man in the future.
Add CBS Sports on GoogleLegal correspondent Paula Reid expected to join MS NOW after CNN departure
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: Paula Reid attends the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Paul Morigi/Paul Morigi / Getty Images) 
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As CNN prepares for change under a new owner, the network’s chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid is heading for the exit and expected to jump to MS NOW.
The Washington-based Reid’s contract with CNN is up in several months and she has told the network she does not plan to renew. She is expected to sign on with CNN competitor MS NOW, according to people familiar with her plans who were not authorized to comment publicly.
A representative for MS NOW said the network does not comment on personnel matters but added, “as everyone in Washington knows, Paula Reid is an exceptional reporter, and any news organization would be fortunate to showcase her journalism.”
Reid‘s planned departure comes ahead of the impending merger of CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount. The combination has led to speculation over who will run CNN, and the uncertainty is said to have played a factor in Reid’s decision.
She joined CNN from CBS News in 2021.
CNN and Paramount’s CBS News will be combined after the merger, but the management structure is still under discussion. Paramount put Bari Weiss, founder of the heterodox digital news site The Free Press in charge of CBS News in October, with a mandate to move the network’s coverage more to the political center. Based on the chaos that has ensued at CBS News under her watch, many CNN insiders are concerned over her possible stewardship of an even larger and more complex organization.
CBS News executives and on-air talent have pushed back at Weiss’ efforts to make changes at the division, which many insiders have viewed as an attempt to placate the Trump White House while Paramount seeks regulatory approvals needed ahead of closing the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Internal resistance to Weiss has been strongest at the venerable news magazine “60 Minutes.” The program’s star correspondent Scott Pelley was fired last month after he confronted management over the dismissals of executive producer Tanya Simon and his on-air colleagues Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
Weiss’ overhaul of the “CBS Evening News” with her handpicked anchor Tony Dokoupil has failed to improve the third-place program’s competitive position in the ratings. The program has also been criticized for some of its editorial decisions and logistical snafus.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has reportedly told colleagues he does not want to work for Weiss if the cable network is put under her purview. He already rejected an offer from Weiss to anchor the “CBS Evening News” and declined to renew his deal as a “60 Minutes” contributor after nearly two decades with the program.
The chaos at CBS has given pause to people at CNN. Larry Ellison, the tech billionaire and father of Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, has reportedly promised Trump their will be sweeping changes to CNN after the merger.
Reid, 43, is among the many TV news correspondents and anchors that Trump has disparaged over the years, claiming they are unfair in their coverage. As White House correspondent for CBS News, Reid was known for asking tough questions of Trump during his White House briefings on the coronavirus.
Reid was a lawyer before becoming a journalist at CBS News in 2010. In addition to serving as White House correspondent for the network, she covered the Justice Department and the Supreme Court.
Reid would be another significant hire for MS NOW, the progressive-leaning channel that is rebuilding its roster after separating from NBC News and its parent Comcast. The network formerly known as MSNBC is now part of Versant, a company with a stable of cable networks spun off by Comcast.
Peter Alexander, former chief White House correspondent for NBC News, is joining MS NOW as a morning anchor later this year. The network also hired former “CBS Mornings” executive producer Shauna Thomas as political director.
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Rob Parker Calls Bills' Cowards for Omitting OJ Simpson from Ring of Honor at New Stadium
Rob Parker Calls Bills’ Cowards for Omitting OJ Simpson from Ring of Honor at New Stadium
One would think that being held liable for the wrongful deaths of two people would be enough to get someone excluded from an NFL team’s Ring of Honor, and it is.
But Rob Parker has an issue with its timing.
As the Bills get set to begin a new chapter with their multi-billion-dollar facility at Highmark Stadium, they are leaving something of their past at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park behind, like any mention of O.J. Simpson.
While Simpson was Buffalo’s first honoree on their old Wall of Fame, he will have no place on their new one at Highmark Stadium.
Fox Sports Radio host Rob Parker takes great umbrage with this decision. In his view, the Bills should have done this while he was alive.
“If you ever wanted to know why the Buffalo Bills are losers, have never been able to win a championship, and have all kinds of other things going on, this is a prime example. This is the worst of the worst, the most cowardish move I’ve ever seen,” Parker said. “They didn’t do this when O.J. Simpson was alive, and I don’t care what you talk about all the other stuff, because I’m not sitting here trying to make it like O.J. was the perfect person or did everything right.”
“But if you’re the Buffalo Bills, I have a question for you. O.J. Simpson is still in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, O.J. Simpson is still in the College Football Hall of Fame. And he was still honored at your old stadium. Why would you do this now that he’s deceased and that he’s gone? It’s a coward move. You should have done it when he was still alive if you had any cause to do it and say, ‘no, O.J. we don’t care what the jury said, we don’t care about anything, we don’t care about the legal system and how it works in this country and we’ve determined that you’re guilty and we want nothing to do with you.’”
“How the hell can the Buffalo Bills have any kind of honor or ring or salute any players in that freakin’ organization and not include O.J. Simpson? He was the Buffalo Bills. Disgraceful,” Parker said.
Parker’s point isn’t without merit.
What were the Bills waiting on? The terrible things that Simpson did were well known before his death and before the Bills decided to switch stadiums.
