As a British-born sports analyst with a PhD in sports psychology, I’ve watched this move unfold not as noise—but as a quiet calculus of value. The Lakers’ persistent interest in Walker Kessler isn’t about hype; it’s about structural fit. Meanwhile, the Jazz aren’t just selling a center—they’re trading for multiple first-round picks, betting on long-term rebuild over short-term noise. This is data-driven elegance, not fanfare.