Utah Jazz: O'Connor mum on Boozer News Utah Jazz

Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor had no comment Tuesday when asked for reaction to statements made Monday by power forward Carlos Boozer, who must decide by the end of this month whether or not he'll opt out of the final year of his current contract in Utah. On Monday, Boozer suggested to ESPN's Jim Rome that he still hasn't decided if he'll opt out and said he's waiting to "see how they (the Jazz ) respond and how they approach me" before making his decision. The two-time NBA All-Star would earn $12.66 million in Utah next season if he does not opt out. That's a possibility which was previously dismissed by Boozer ?

but now apparently is being reconsidered, perhaps because of the realization he may not automatically command the pay raise and lucrative multiyear contract extension he would be seeking as an unrestricted free agent in the league's summer shopping market. While O'Connor would not specifically address the Boozer matter, he did suggest he still anticipates opt-out decisions by the team's starting power forward, starting center Mehmet Okur and backup shooting guard Kyle Korver would not be made until sometime much closer to the June 30 deadline for doing so. "Here," said O'Connor, who had just returned to Utah on Tuesday following a weekend scouting trip to Italy, "is what I would expect: They have to make a decision on whether they want to opt of contacts that are guaranteed for next year, and when they do we'll react." Okur has said he's open to negotiating a new multi-year contract, and last month indicated he would give the Jazz a home-team discount of $3 million to $5 million in total value of the deal should one be offered. Korver currently is recovering from offseason surgery on his shooting wrist, perhaps decreasing the likelihood he would opt out and become a free agent. In a related note, the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday acquired sharpshooter Jason Kapono from Toronto in a trade for veteran forward Reggie Evans. "We are very excited to add one of the league's most prolific 3-point shooters in Jason Kapono," Sixers GM Ed Stefanski said. "We feel that this move addresses our goal of improving our shooting from the perimeter." That would seem to eliminate the possibility of a return as a free agent to Philadelphia for sharpshooter Korver, whom the Jazz acquired via trade from Philly. The Jazz , meanwhile, also have until Monday to decide if they'll pick up the $870,000 third-season team option on reserve center Kyrylo Fesenko's current rookie contract. Indications, however, are that no determination in that regard has been made yet ? and the possibility of Fesenko remaining in Utah remains alive for now. ALUMNI UPDATE: According to the New York Post, ABC NBA television analyst and ex- Jazz point guard Mark Jackson "still has coaching on his radar" and "recently hired an agent ... to help his search." Jackson, who backed up John Stockton for one season in Utah, was a candidate last offseason for the New York Knicks' job that went to Mike D'Antoni. "I'm just waiting for an opportunity, for the right spot, (to) present itself," Jackson told the Post. "I look forward to that day. I trust in God," he added. "The right situation will come and I look forward to making that guy who has the courage to pull the trigger ... look awfully good." Jackson currently is working the NBA Finals for ABC. HE WROTE IT: Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto: "Odds are (ex- Jazz shooting guard) Sasha Pavlovic (of the Cavaliers) will be traded, or at least won't be back. He has only $1.5 million of his $4.8 contract guaranteed, and it's obvious the team needs an upgrade over Pavlovic." E-MAIL: tbuckley@desnews.com