Carlos Boozer To Opt Out Of Contract.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Boozer's plans good for Millsap

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com

Updated: December 19, 2008, 1:18 AM ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It is time to stop guessing whether Carlos Boozer will opt out of the final season of his contract with the Utah Jazz.

For the first time, Boozer said unequivocally Wednesday night that he will indeed opt out of his contract at the end of the season, forgoing a guaranteed $12.66 million to become an unrestricted free agent.

"I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless," Boozer told ESPN.com. "I am going to opt out, I don't see why I wouldn't, I think it's a very good business decision for me and my family, but I'd also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here."

Boozer's statement can only come as welcome news to teammate Paul Millsap, who posted his 13th consecutive double-double in place of Boozer on Wednesday night as Utah came back from an early 22-point deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets 103-92.

Millsap was the catalyst in a huge fourth-quarter surge for the Jazz as they outscored the Nets 40-23 in the period, with Millsap contributing half of his 18 points and half of his 12 rebounds over the final 12 minutes.

With Boozer sidelined the past 15 games by a knee injury (he sounded as though he had a setback Wednesday, experiencing pain after a workout, and planned to have an MRI Thursday) Millsap has unquestionably established himself as the NBA player providing the most bang for the buck.

In a locker room where Andrei Kirilenko is making $15.1 million, Boozer $11.6, Mehmet Okur $8.5 million and Deron Williams $5.07 million -- with a max extension kicking in next season -- Millsap is the lowest-paid player on the team with a salary of $797,581, a result of his signing a three-year deal when he was a rookie, with the third year at the team's option.

Millsap will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, with Utah holding the rights to match any offer. But a big question mark is whether there will be any money to pay Millsap and still keep the Jazz beneath the luxury-tax threshold, which owner Larry Miller has vowed publicly he will never exceed.

Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor told ESPN.com that Miller hasn't been quite so absolute regarding the luxury tax in internal conversations, but the issue could become moot if the Jazz allow Boozer to leave as a free agent, which would allow them to pay Millsap something resembling his fair market value.

Possibly complicating matters to a certain degree is the fact that Millsap reiterated his commitment to being represented by his uncle, Brendrick Simmons, who received a briefing from players' union officials Wednesday on the different scenarios Millsap may face this summer.

Paramount among the concerns of Millsap's camp is whether any team with significant cap space will be willing to tender an offer sheet to Millsap, with the expectation around the league being that Utah will match anything that is not egregiously unreasonable -- especially if the Jazz are far enough under the tax threshold to pay Millsap his fair market value.

Some would argue that Millsap is a $5-6 million player, while others would argue that any player brawnish and brutish enough to accumulate such an impressive streak of double-figure statistical totals is probably worth closer to $10 million annually than $5 million.

Utah will have even more flexibility with Millsap and others if Okur exercises an early termination contract and walks away from the final season of his contract, forsaking $9 million, although Okur and his agent both told ESPN.com that they will wait until the end of the season to assess the NBA landscape and see how many teams have significant cap space to make a play for a player of Okur's caliber. Currently, Atlanta, Memphis, Portland, Miami, Detroit and Oklahoma City are among the teams positioned to have the most cap flexibility.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has been uncharacteristically effusive in his praise for Millsap during Boozer's absence, and O'Connor told ESPN.com on Wednesday: "We intend to keep Paul Millsap. I don't know how much more succinct I can be."

Upon hearing that remark, Millsap replied: "Bit of a relief, knowing your team wants you. I would love to be here, great system, playing with one of the best point guards in the league, it can't get no better."

When he hears of Boozer's plans to opt out, it may get even better. That'll mean the money will be there to pay Millsap and keep Miller under the luxury tax, although it would come at the cost of letting Boozer -- their leading scorer and rebounder -- walk away with Utah getting nothing in return.

Nothing, that is, except for the chance to have the financial flexibility to lock up a rebounding machine who has shown over the past 13 games -- especially in Boston on Monday night when Millsap scored 32 points as Kevin Garnett, according to one Jazz player, kept calling over to teammate Kendrick Perkins: "You take him, Perk."

But if what Boozer was saying Wednesday night comes to fruition, or if the Jazz can find a taker for Kirilenko in a trade -- there's going to be nobody taking Millsap. The Jazz will keep him.

The Jazz are fucked...if Boozer books it, so does Deron Williams.

[7even]

Wouldn't surprise me, Boozer is known to be a backstabber. I don't see him getting into a better position.

I HATE how they bring it up like "for me and my family". LIKE GO FUCK YOURSELF. YEAH RIGHT, YOUR DAUGHTER REALLY NEEDS AN EXTRA 2 MILLION DOLLARS. GO FUCK YOURSELF.

[OG Hack Wilson]

he's alllll about the $$$

[It's All About 18]

he's alllll about the $$$

Dollar love > Franchise love

[Antonio]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Wouldn't surprise me, Boozer is known to be a backstabber. I don't see him getting into a better position.

I HATE how they bring it up like "for me and my family". LIKE GO FUCK YOURSELF. YEAH RIGHT, YOUR DAUGHTER REALLY NEEDS AN EXTRA 2 MILLION DOLLARS. GO FUCK YOURSELF.

why?  He isnt saying that if he doesnt get paid more....his family will starve. He is saying that making more money would be a better thing for him and his family. Of course it would be. If he made $50,000/year.....making $60,000 would better for him and his family. Why does that idea change just because youre making more?  

BTW, i HATE how people have a different set of standards for professional athletes then they do for wealthy business men....or even say, NBA Franchise owners. Professional athletes get the scraps off of what NBA owners make and the players make the team profitable. Im sure Bill Gates wants to make even more money then he already does....for him and his family. But when an NBA player says it...people assume he's full of shit. Stupid.

[GangstaBoogy]

Booz is going to the Heat.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Booz is going to the Heat.

yea, right...

[Chamillitary Click]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

Cavs win at least one rings with that LeBron/Boozer combo & takin it this year.

maybe Boozer will come to Philly!

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

one rings

 

[Rick McCrank]

this guy is sorry as hell 

fuck having him on your team

[Chamillitary Click]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

one rings

 

lol, alright im sorry, i accidentally pressed the "s" button.

dont ban me!

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

Cavs win at least one rings with that LeBron/Boozer combo & takin it this year.

maybe Boozer will come to Philly!

Boozer and LeBron would not win a ring together...they both play shitty ass defense. one of the Cavs' main strengths is their team defense.

[7even]

Wouldn't surprise me, Boozer is known to be a backstabber. I don't see him getting into a better position.

I HATE how they bring it up like "for me and my family". LIKE GO FUCK YOURSELF. YEAH RIGHT, YOUR DAUGHTER REALLY NEEDS AN EXTRA 2 MILLION DOLLARS. GO FUCK YOURSELF.

why?  He isnt saying that if he doesnt get paid more....his family will starve. He is saying that making more money would be a better thing for him and his family. Of course it would be. If he made $50,000/year.....making $60,000 would better for him and his family. Why does that idea change just because youre making more? 

BTW, i HATE how people have a different set of standards for professional athletes then they do for wealthy business men....or even say, NBA Franchise owners. Professional athletes get the scraps off of what NBA owners make and the players make the team profitable. Im sure Bill Gates wants to make even more money then he already does....for him and his family. But when an NBA player says it...people assume he's full of shit. Stupid.

If Bill Gates is telling me how he fired 10000 workers as a business decision because it was the best for his family, I'm telling him to go fuck himself. I don't make a distinction. Now go lick some athlete's balls.

[Chamillitary Click]

He should have stayed in Cleveland.

Cavs win at least one rings with that LeBron/Boozer combo & takin it this year.

maybe Boozer will come to Philly!

Boozer and LeBron would not win a ring together...they both play shitty ass defense. one of the Cavs' main strengths is their team defense.

LeBron single-handedly took the Cavs to the finals, shitty ass east or not.

give him a big time scorer like Boozer & its a wrap!