2009-10 NBA preview: Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz front office and their fans often cite the summer of 2003 as the most difficult summer, this club has ever had to struggle through. That year John Stockton retired, and Karl Malone left for the LA Lakers, while that was a tough one nothing could compare to the turmoil this team just had to suffer through in 2009. The Jazz had to wait until late June to learn that Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Kyle Korver had decided to play their final contract year with the team instead of trying to test a tepid free agent market.

While Jazz owner, Larry Miller, vowed that his small market team would never be NBA luxury tax payers, the decision for all three of these players to return pushes the Jazz well into the Luxury Tax threshold. The team had counted on at least Boozer leaving, since he declared last December that he would seek a raise on the market. However he and his 12.7 million dollar salary are back for the new NBA season.

The Jazz were also victimized by the Portland Trailblazers. They signed Forward Paul Millsap to a 32 million dollar offer sheet, which included a 10.3 million up front payment. In the end the Jazz felt forced to math the offer and that pushed their payroll north of 82 million dollars. At this point they would owe 12 million dollars in Luxury tax, and that seems to indicate this team will be selling off pieces at some point in the new season.

By signing Millsap to such a large deal, the Jazz are committed to him as their Power Forward of the future. That probably means that Boozer will be the odd man out as the Jazz scramble to get below the Luxury tax line. While the core of the 2007 team, that reached the Western Conference finals is largely intact, this team is in a downward trend. It seems likely that will continue as they work deals to shed payroll.