DETROIT — Walker Kessler, the Utah Jazz’s fourth-year center, will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum, sources confirmed to the Deseret News on Wednesday.
Kessler will undergo surgery on his left shoulder on Thursday in Los Angeles. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who has a long list of notable patients across the sports world, is the same doctor who performed Shohei Ohtani’s Tommy John surgery in 2018.
This is an injury that Kessler had been battling since training camp, which is why he missed three of the Jazz’s four preseason games. But the torn labrum was exacerbated by the development of bursitis in the shoulder, and then Kessler re-injured his shoulder last week in a loss against the Phoenix Suns.
The recovery after surgery will likely keep Kessler sidelined through April, at which time he should be able to start progressive rehabbing to get back to playing.
The timing of the situation is undesirable at best, for Kessler and the Jazz. Prior to the season, the Jazz and Kessler did not come to an agreement on a contract extension, which means Kessler will be a restricted free agent after the 2025-26 season concludes.
The Jazz, wanting to keep Kessler’s cap hold at a lower number heading into the offseason, had the option to explore trade opportunities that included Kessler. They still can explore that, but there will not be as many suitors, if any, considering the injury and recovery time.
Kessler expressed frustration and disappointment with how extension talks had deteriorated over the summer and was hoping that a season of strong play would make his case for a significant salary increase. And this season had been going well for Kessler.
He was showing improved facilitating skills and was starting to expand his offensive game to the perimeter. In five games this season, Kessler averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.
Kessler is expected to make a full recovery with possibly better range of motion than he’s had for a while once rehab is complete.