What should come as no surprise to anyone, Boozer spoke with Noah and Derrick Rose last season while still under contract with the Jazz, about joining them in Chicago. From the Chicago Tribune (via BDL),
Rose recalled how a month before last season ended, Boozer told him to make sure to contact him about joining forces. There was talk Boozer's No. 1 choice was to sign with the Heat because his three boys live in Miami and he still owns a house in the area.
That was far from the message Boozer relayed to Noah.
"I just told Jo that if I leave Utah, this is where I want to come,'' Boozer said. "I was like, 'You and I could lock down the middle. D-Rose's potential is through the roof. And Luol (Deng) is a versatile as anybody.' ... We can ride out and do some good things.''
When the Boozer radio tour started a couple of years ago, he talked up Chicago and thought that a trade was imminent. So the fact that he was wanting to play for the Bulls isn't a shocker.
So is there tampering here? Probably not. If Lebron and Wade didn't get busted for it, then Boozer's comments aren't going to land him any fines.
However, mentally, he had checked out. He was moving on from the Jazz regardless. There was talk that he might have re-signed had the Jazz given him that 6th guaranteed year on his deal. That might have been the only thing that kept him here. When the Jazz said no, he was gone.
The best part of the article though, and the primary reason why I posted it, was for the "lock down" quote. I'm not sure what he meant by that because while Noah and Taj Gibson can lock it down, Boozer gives out a hotel key to anyone and everyone. The DB mentioned Al's "defense" but Boozer wasn't far behind.