NBA
Walker Kessler
Walker Kessler
Utah Jazz, Center
Age: 23y-4m-26d (Jul 26, 2001)
Exp: 2 Years
Country: US
College: Auburn
Drafted: Round 1 (#22 overall), 2022
Agent(s): Aaron Mintz, Dave Spahn
2024-25 Cap Hit
$2,965,920
2024-25 Cash
$2,965,920
Career Earnings
$8,493,480
2022-2025 Rookie (CURRENT)
Walker Kessler signed a 4 year , $13,372,418 contract with the Utah Jazz, including $5,527,560 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,343,105. In 2024-25, Kessler will earn a base salary of $2,965,920, while carrying a cap hit of $2,965,920 and a dead cap value of $2,965,920.
Contract Terms:
4 yr(s) / $13,372,418
Average Salary:
$3,343,105
GTD at Sign:
$5,527,560
Total GTD:
$5,527,560
Signed Using:
rookie-scale-exception
Free Agent:
2026 / RFA
| Year | Age | Status | Cap HitAnnual | Cap % League Cap | Apron Salary | Luxury Tax | Tax % League Tax | Cash Annual | Cash Guaranteed | Cash Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 |
|
21 | $2,696,400 | 2.18% | $2,696,400 | $2,696,400 | 1.79% | $2,696,400 | $2,696,400 | $2,696,400 | |
| 2023-24 |
|
22 | $2,831,160 | 2.08% | $2,831,160 | $2,831,160 | 1.71% | $2,831,160 | $2,831,160 | $5,527,560 | |
| 2024-25 |
|
23 |
Club
|
$2,965,920 | 2.11% | $2,965,920 | $2,965,920 | 1.74% | $2,965,920 | $2,965,920 | $8,493,480 |
| 2025-26 |
|
24 |
Club
|
$4,878,938 | 3.15% | $4,878,938 | $4,878,938 | 2.60% | $4,878,938 | - | $13,372,418 |
| 2026-27 |
|
25 |
RFA |
| Year | Age | Status | Base Salary | Incentives Likely | Incentives Unlikely | Cap Hit | Cap % League Cap | Luxury Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 |
|
21 | $2,696,400 | - | - | $2,696,400 | 2.18% | $2,696,400 | |
| 2023-24 |
|
22 | $2,831,160 | - | - | $2,831,160 | 2.08% | $2,831,160 | |
| 2024-25 |
|
23 |
Club
|
$2,965,920 | - | - | $2,965,920 | 2.11% | $2,965,920 |
| 2025-26 |
|
24 |
Club
|
$4,878,938 | - | - | $4,878,938 | 3.15% | $4,878,938 |
| 2026-27 |
|
25 |
RFA |
| Year | Age | Status | Base Salary | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Cash Remaining | AYC Cumulative | AYC Remaining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 |
|
21 | $2,696,400 | $2,696,400 | $2,696,400 | $13,372,418 | $2,696,400 | $3,343,105 | |
| 2023-24 |
|
22 | $2,831,160 | $2,831,160 | $5,527,560 | $10,676,018 | $2,763,780 | $3,558,673 | |
| 2024-25 |
|
23 |
Club |
$2,965,920 | $2,965,920 | $8,493,480 | $7,844,858 | $2,831,160 | $3,922,429 |
| 2025-26 |
|
24 |
Club |
$4,878,938 | $4,878,938 | $13,372,418 | $4,878,938 | $3,343,105 | $4,878,938 |
Contract Notes
- 2024-25: Club Option (deadline 10/31/23, exercised 10/23/23)
- 2025-26: Club Option (deadline 10/31/24, exercised 10/21/24)
Source:
Spotrac
Seasons
2 Years
Career Earnings thru 2024
$8,493,480
Earnings w/ Different Teams
1 team
Earnings Per Year
| Year | Age | Team(s) | Status | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21 |
|
Active
|
$2,696,400 |
$2,696,400 |
|
| 2023 | 22 |
|
Active
|
$2,831,160 |
$5,527,560 |
|
| 2024 | 23 |
|
Active / Club Exercised
|
$2,965,920 |
$8,493,480 |
|
| Total |
$8,493,480 |
$8,493,480 |
||||
| 2025 | 24 |
|
Active / Club Exercised
|
$4,878,938 |
||
| Total |
$13,372,418 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
|
$8,493,480 | - | - | $8,493,480 |
| Year | Team(s) | Age | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |
|
21 |
$2,696,400
|
$2,696,400 |
$2,696,400 |
||
| 2023 |
|
22 |
$2,831,160
|
$2,831,160 |
$5,527,560 |
||
| 2024 |
|
23 |
$2,965,920
|
$2,965,920 |
$8,493,480 |
||
| Total |
$8,493,480 |
$8,493,480 |
$8,493,480 |
||||
| 2025 |
|
24 |
$4,878,938
|
$4,878,938 |
|||
| Total |
$13,372,418 |
$13,372,418 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
|
$8,493,480 | - | - | $8,493,480 |
Injuries
| Year | Dates | Games Missed | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 |
UTA |
Nov 12, 2024 - Nov 22, 2024 | 6 | Hip |
| 2023-24 |
UTA |
Apr 05, 2024 - Apr 14, 2024 | 6 | Nose |
| 2023-24 |
UTA |
Feb 29, 2024 - Mar 08, 2024 | 4 | Foot |
| 2023-24 |
UTA |
Dec 11, 2023 - Dec 12, 2023 | 1 | Foot |
| 2023-24 |
UTA |
Nov 08, 2023 - Nov 24, 2023 | 7 | Elbow |
| 2022-23 |
UTA |
Apr 04, 2023 - Apr 09, 2023 | 4 | Concussion |
| 2022-23 |
UTA |
Mar 07, 2023 - Mar 08, 2023 | 1 | Illness |
| 2022-23 |
UTA |
Oct 28, 2022 - Nov 01, 2022 | 3 | Illness |
-
Oct 21, 2024
Utah (UTA) exercised $4.88 million option for 2025-26
-
Oct 23, 2023
Utah (UTA) exercised $2.97 million option for 2024-25
-
Jul 09, 2022
Signed a 4 year $13.37 million Rookie Scale contract with Utah (UTH)
-
Jul 06, 2022
Traded to Utah (UTA) from Minnesota (MIN) with Malik Beasley , Patrick Beverley , Jarred Vanderbilt , Leandro Bolmaro , 2023 1st round pick [top-12 protected, conveys to 2nd-round pick] , 2025 1st round pick [unprotected] , 2027 1st round pick [unprotected] , 2026 1st round pick [UTH right to swap] and 2029 1st round pick [top-5 protected] for Rudy Gobert
-
Jun 24, 2022
Traded to Minnesota (MIN) from Memphis (MEM) with 2023 2nd round pick and TyTy Washington Jr. for Jake LaRavia
-
Jun 23, 2022
Drafted by Memphis (MEM): Round 1 (#22 overall)
Fines
| Date | Reason | Fine Amount | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 02, 2024 |
|
for technical foul during UTA-DEN game | $2,000 | |
| Fines: 1 | $2,000 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Min/Gm | Pt/Gm | Reb/Gm | Ast/Gm | Stl/Gm | Blk/Gm | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | UTA | 20 | 20 | 29.3 | 10.9 | 10.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 2.9 | .718 | 1.000 | .583 |
| 2023 | UTA | 64 | 22 | 23.3 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.4 | .654 | .211 | .602 |
| 2022 | UTA | 74 | 40 | 23.0 | 9.2 | 8.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.3 | .720 | .333 | .516 |
