Danny Ainge Did It Again. The Lakers Just Paid the Price.

The Lakers needed a center. Everyone knew it. So when they pulled off a sign-and-trade for Utah’s Walker Kessler, the move made sense on paper. Kessler is 23, already one of the better rim protectors in the league, and he fits next to Luka Doncic like a hand in a glove. Lob threats who block shots don’t grow on trees.

But the price tag? That’s where things get sticky.

Los Angeles sent Utah two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and two pick swaps to get Kessler. Then they handed him a four-year, $130 million contract. That’s a lot of assets for a guy who’s started 91 games in his career. And according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, rival executives are raising eyebrows — not just at the haul, but at who they gave it to.

Danny Ainge has a reputation. It’s not a secret. The guy squeezed a haul out of Brooklyn for the ghost of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. He fleeced the Cavaliers for Donovan Mitchell. And now he’s done it again with a deal that has some front office people shaking their heads.

“There’s several teams who wanted Kessler for a few years,” one NBA personnel director told Windhorst. “But I’d be worried about doing a big deal with the Ainges just on principle.”

That quote captures the unease floating around the league. It’s not that Kessler isn’t good. He is. The question is whether the Lakers overpaid because Ainge is the guy on the other side of the table. Two first-rounders and two swaps for a center who averaged 8.1 points and 7.5 rebounds last season? That’s a bet on potential, not production.

From the Lakers’ side, the logic is straightforward. LeBron James is gone. Doncic is the future. They needed a young defensive anchor who can catch lobs and protect the paint. Kessler checks both boxes. They’ve also added Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton while keeping Austin Reaves. The roster is taking shape. The plan is clear.

But the NBA doesn’t forget. And Ainge now has another pile of draft capital to play with. The Jazz are sitting on a treasure chest of picks, and they haven’t even started trying to win yet.

Whether this trade works for Los Angeles will come down to Kessler’s development. If he turns into a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate and anchors a contender, nobody will care about the picks. If he plateaus as a solid starter on a big contract, the narrative flips. Either way, the warning from that personnel director lingers. Do business with Danny Ainge at your own risk.