It looks like we might have a general ballpark of what type of contract extension numbers Walker Kessler was seeking from the Utah Jazz before the 2025-26 NBA season when negotiations were ongoing.

According to a batch of NBA rumors from Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal, Kessler was said to have desired upwards of $120 million in total value for his next contract, a price that Utah was seemingly unwilling to match.

“In contract discussions with the Jazz, Kessler sought upwards of $120 million in total compensation for a long-term contract extension, sources told , but Utah was unwilling to commit to that price range,” Afseth wrote. “There was a clear gap in talks between Kessler and Utah,’ one source said.”

It’s an interesting nugget thrown into the situation is Kessler’s pending new contract, offering a bit of insight into what exactly was expected from Kessler’s camp in the negotiations for a second deal with the Jazz.

Kessler Was Searching for $120M From Utah Jazz

Earlier this summer, it initially seemed as if the expected outcome would be for the Jazz and Kessler to hammer out a new rookie extension to ink him on for the next four-to-five years.

But instead, Utah wanted to prioritize having that cap flexibility until next summer rolled around; ultimately leaving their fourth-year big man to play out the final year of his deal, then hit restricted free agency in 2026.

That’s exactly what would transpire, but it wouldn’t take long for Kessler’s fourth season in the mix to be quickly derailed, as he would go down with season-ending shoulder surgery just five games into the year, now leaving him to prepare for the 2026-27 campaign, and cutting a pivotal contract year short.

Before getting injured this season to be sidelined for the entire year, Kessler played five games where he averaged a career-best 14.4 points a game, along with 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 block in just over 30 minutes a night.

It’s not exactly concrete of exactly what Kessler was searching on that new contract, but a $150 million value over the next five years would place him into the top-12 highest paid centers in the NBA per AAV.

That’s a hefty price to pay, no doubt. But for one of the more appealing young rim protectors around the league who’s gotten better every season, that might be a deal one team may be willing to pay him on the restricted free agency market, which would then force the Jazz to match that $30 million annually to keep him on their own roster.

Inevitably, the Jazz and Kessler will hit the negotiation table once again this summer as the two sides try to remain paired together for the long haul. Then, time will tell if they’ll be able to come to that long-awaited agreement to lock him into a fresh contract for what could be the next half-decade.

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