Jazz won’t trade Kirilenko
After failing to convince all-star power forward Carlos Boozer to stay, the Utah Jazz vowed to stay competitive and they are not willing to give up Russian defensive-specialist Andrei Kirilenko.
The 6ft 9in forward was involved in a lot of trade talks this off-season and according to sources, the Jazz will look to move Kirilenko prior to the season or before the trade deadline, but
Utah can’t afford to lose another cornerstone of their team.
Utah Jazz General manager Kevin O’Connor recognized that Kirilenko’s $17.8 million expiring contract will be very attractive for teams that are looking to clear cap space, but he believes
that Kirilenko will be a big help for them this season.
“Andrei's a key for us. And he's a big key,” O’Connor said. “I think we went 20-4 at one point last season when he was playing very well.”
However, O’Connor said that if there will be an offer that will greatly improve their team, they will consider moving him, but for now, their focus is on improving their team chemistry after
acquiring new players this offseason.
The Jazz lost Boozer, who opted to join forces with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in Chicago, but they acquired up-and-coming power forward Al Jefferson.
The six-year veteran forward averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, but his presence was hardly felt in the league after being in a losing team
for the past three years. O’Connor believes that Jefferson will have another breakout year in the upcoming season, which will be enough for them to fill in the hole left by Boozer.
“Adding Al Jefferson is a big key. We lost some good players, and I think we got some good players coming into replace them,” O’Connor said. “The biggest thing is how it'll translate into
wins and losses. That's really the only thing that your report card is judged on.”
The long-time general manager is also excited to see how all-star point guard Deron Williams will lead the team to success, now that they will not have Boozer in their fold.
The Boozer and Williams combo was tagged as this generation’s Stockton-Malone duo, but now that the power forward is gone, O’Connor believes that Williams is mature enough to lead the team’s
campaign in the upcoming season.
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