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Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Utah Jazz are going to sign Trevor Booker . Washington Wizards beat writer Michael Lee had it first though, if we're into saying "first!" still.
Free agent forward Trevor Booker has reached a deal with the Utah Jazz, league source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 15, 2014
Sources: Trevor Booker has agreed to terms with Utah on a free agent deal. #wizards
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) July 15, 2014
EDIT: It is for $10 million total over 2 years:
Can confirm Trevor Booker agreed to 2-year, $10 million deal with the Jazz #wizards
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) July 15, 2014
We first talked about this rumor a while back, over here if you forgot.
But who is Booker? Booker was a first round draft pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2010 #23), and traded to the Wizards. (He was originally traded, as a future pick, by the Utah Jazz with Gordan Giricek for Kyle Korver back in 2007, by the way....) He has played for years with their club and is a Paul Millsap body type -- a power forward who is under 6'9 and really thick. As a 6'7 PF he needs his 240 lb bulk. He was an okay college player at Clemson and finished his senior year with averages of 15.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He did take threes, and over his for year career there went 23/71, that's good enough for 32.4% from the college line.
At the NBA level he has played in 4,910 total minutes in the regular season and playoffs combined, over 244 games. That's playing 20.12 MPG, which isn't bad. He's been a rotation player getting irregular minutes on a playoff team. In his time in the NBA he hasn't shown much range (1/10 from deep over four years), and is either consistently injured, or inconsistently getting the call from his head coaches. Last season he played in 72 games, the most of his NBA career.
Trevor is nearly a double double guy by Per 36 minute extrapolations, and his PER is at a 15.0 mark -- absolutely average. He doesn't kill it on the glass, or block shots. But he is a good example of what a #23 pick gets you in the NBA today. Solid rotation guy, very low ceiling. He was part of a stacked front court in Washing that also boasted Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilario, Drew Gooden, and Al Harrington. Yet he still played 20 mpg.
This brings our team roster up to 11 of 13 (min), or 11 of 15 (max). The Jazz are most likely going to go with 14 at some point in the season to maintain flexibility for other moves / signings / injuries during the season.
Booker's agent is Andy Miller, who also represents Alec Burks, Daniel Gibson, Ersan Ilyasova, Kevin Garnett, Nerlens, Noel, Jamal Crawford, Serge Ibaka, Andre Miller, Erik Murphy, and Isaiah Thomas . In total he actually represents 69 different NBA guys. And a few of them have Jazz ties (two of the current guys wearing Jazz colors are his players already).
I am most interested in the point that he represents Chauncey Billups , who just had his cap hold / 'dibs' renounced from the Detroit Pistons. That's a side thing though, and a pipe dream for me.
Booker is a young guy. And he may be able to help us out.
Why this makes sense:
The Jazz just lost Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams. They retained Gordon Hayward. And their big wing depth seems to be coming from a rookie in Rodney Hood now. They need forwards. Booker isn't a 3, but he can help shore up what's happening inside.
I LOVE the invented idea that this is something that helps the Jazz get Billups. But I don't know if that's even a thing. All the other moves we've had so far were precipitated by rumors. There are no Billups rumors.
Why this doesn't make sense:
Booker's agent is the same guy as Erik Murphy's agent. Murphy is in competition for a roster spot from his own dude now. The Jazz also have Malcolm Thomas to worry about. Furthermore, the Jazz need to play big minutes to Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Rudy Gobert . If this guy is insurance that's great. But he played 20 mpg for a playoff team last year. This is a step down, unless there's some agreement about role here.