​The Los Angeles Lakers will look very different next season after losing multiple key players in free agency this summer.One new addition to the Lakers’ squad is former Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler. He secured a four-year, $129.5 million with Los Angeles as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the Jazz.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe contract is a great deal for Kessler, who will earn an average annual salary of $32.5 million. But the contract was named one of the worst team deals to be signed this summer.Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports explained how the Lakers took a big risk giving up two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Jazz to acquire Kessler. By doing this, the Lakers will have to rely on Kessler to perform well and will no longer have the future assets that could help them thrive in the Luka Doncic era.Oct 16, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) celebrates after his slam dunk during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn ImagesKessler played just five games for the Jazz last season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left labrum. His 2024-25 season was also cut short by his same left shoulder.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Lakers are hoping Kessler can match or exceed how he performed between injuries. During that time, Kessler averaged 11.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 assists in 30.1 minutes per game.“It is all just hope. We have not seen it from Kessler,” Rohrbach wrote. “A similar sentiment could be said about the deals for Reaves, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Sexton. The Lakers, as always, are banking on a lot of things going right for them to be able to compete, only now they have given away the assets they might need in the likely event something goes wrong.”Kessler still has a lot to prove in his first season with the Lakers. The 2022 first-round pick said the franchise’s belief in him makes him determined to succeed for the team.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you,” Kessler said, per ESPN. “With what [the Lakers] have invested, they’re showing that belief, in a monetary value. Not just with money, but in [draft] assets. If I know they have that belief in me, I’m going to run through a brick wall for them. That’s how I’ve been wired my whole life.”Photo Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn ImagesThe post Lakers’ Signing One of ‘Worst Contracts’ in Free Agency appeared first on LA Sports Report.