SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - Utah Jazz starting center Walker Kessler's season is over.

Kessler, the Jazz best rim protector, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a left shoulder labral tear on Thursday. The procedure will be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Kessler played in just five games this season, averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, while shooting 70.3 percent from the field. His last game came Friday in Phoenix, where he scored four points in 29 minutes.

The Jazz declined to sign Kessler to a long-term extension this summer. Kessler is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season when his rookie contract expires. He was hoping to command a total salary package worth in excess of $100 million.

Now in his fourth season

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