Jazz brass debate Millsap match News Chicago Bulls

To match, or not to match. That is the question being faced by the Jazz now that restricted free agent Paul Millsap, their backup power forward, signed an offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers. The offer is for four years, said Millsap's representative and uncle, DeAngelo Simmons, after it was signed late Friday night. The contract ?

worth approximately $32 million ? contains no team options, and player opt-out or early termination options. It also is structured, Simmons said, with a significant signing bonus ? the so-called "toxic" element, as first reported by the Oregonian newspaper in Portland last Wednesday night, designed to discourage Utah from matching. "It's a deal Paul wanted for himself, security-wise, financially," said Ara Vartanian, Millsap's other representative. "It's definitely a situation where he's getting what he should. It's a fair deal. The Jazz had a chance to not let this happen, but unfortunately they didn't value Paul as much as other teams." The multimillion-dollar bonus might frighten a small-market team like the Jazz , but it amounts to loose change in the pocket of billionaire Blazers owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. If Utah is able to match, however, it raises the question of how Millsap would feel about staying with a team that, according to representation, undervalued him. "The fact that Portland came out and went after Paul so greatly showed how much they want Paul," Vartanian said. "If Utah matches, there's nothing we can do," he added. "Paul will play hard and do what he has to do. But if we had that offer from the Jazz , it never would have come to this." The Jazz have a week to make their decision. Asked Friday night if they would honor their initial vow to match any offer sheet Millsap signed, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said, "I think we'd analyze everything." That's largely because the Jazz still fervently are trying to reduce salary costs by trading starting power forward Carlos Boozer and the final $12,657,233 on his contract ? and if they can't they're looking at a player payroll next season of more than $81 million. And that means ? if the match were made, and nothing changed by next season's end ? the Jazz would owe the NBA more than $11 million for exceeding the league's $1-for-$1 luxury-tax threshold of $69.92 million. Moreover, they would lose out on receiving a distribution share from taxpayers ? which this year amounted to about $2.9 million. And that's not to mention interest on the lucrative bonus, which is payable up front but ? in terms of salary-cap and luxury-tax implications ? spread according to a complicated collectively bargained formula over much if not all of the length of the contract. Matching and retaining Millsap, then, could conceivably and effectively cost the Jazz more than $15 million next season in salary, tax and incidentals. The offer sheet is for less than the $10 million-or-more starting salary that Millsap's camp initially had been seeking, but more than the multiyear midlevel exception deal starting at $5,854,000 that for a time it seemed he might have to settle for. It's also more than the Jazz offered on their own, which is why Millsap's reps heeded the franchise's urging to fish for a deal and bring it back for them to weigh. "DeAngelo (Simmons) and I have been working really hard, gave Utah a fair shot to get the kid," Vartanian said. "But unfortunately the numbers (the Jazz ) were coming up with weren't at the level we were looking for. ... It wasn't anywhere near what was fair for Paul. But Portland came up with an offer that's a great offer." "It's very acceptable, especially with the signing bonus," added Simmons, whose nephew averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Jazz in his third NBA season. "The signing bonus is hard to walk away from." Whether the Jazz and Boozer soon part ways seems more certain, as ESPN.com has reported that the team informed him "he is no longer in (its) long-term plans," prompting Boozer to urge Utah to trade him. The Jazz on Friday suggested that a Thursday ESPN.com report claiming Utah, Portland and Chicago were engaged in substantive talks about a possible trade that would send Boozer to the Bulls and bring forward Tyrus Thomas to the Jazz was greatly exaggerated. But the Web site stuck by its story Friday, reporting that while "sources stressed to ESPN.com on Thursday that no deal was imminent ... two sources with knowledge of the three-team proposal confirmed that there have been detailed talks." O'Connor, however, did not deny that the Jazz are talking with multiple teams about potential deals for the two-time NBA All-Star. "There's a lot of conversation going on," the Jazz GM said. "I wouldn't say it's anything that's more than anything else, and nothing's real substantive. Not right now." According to ESPN.com, unnamed sources said the discussions partly "are the byproduct of a hard push by the Jazz to move Boozer in an attempt to create the financial flexibility needed to comfortably re-sign Millsap." ESPN.com suggested hang-ups to Boozer-to-the-Bulls were twofold. One, according to an unnamed source and as written on the Web site: "Concerned about the quality of its backcourt rotation if it has to surrender (guard Kirk) Hinrich (to Portland) with Thomas after losing Ben Gordon in free agency, Chicago would insist that the Blazers surrender young guard Jerryd Bayless, which Portland is reluctant to do." The other: "If it can't get Bayless, Chicago might still be willing to substitute Tim Thomas for Tyrus Thomas in the deal, but sources say Utah would likely balk if Tyrus Thomas is not included." Golden State and Miami are believed to be other possible destinations for Boozer, but Detroit ? once a supposed suitor ? evidently is not. According to ESPN.com, "sources with knowledge of Detroit's thinking insisted again Friday that the Pistons will not join the trade bidding ... because they think Tayshaun Prince and newly signed Charlie Villanueva will complement each other better than Boozer and Villanueva would." e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com