Boozer, who is expected to be a side-kick of either LeBron James or Dwayne Wade going into the 2010-2011 season, is in a holding pattern until their decisions are made up sometime this week. However, the Jazz know they are going to be losing a great 20-10 guy so they are also on the hunt to find a decent S&T so they can somehow recoup some of the loss that Boozer will leave when relocating to a new team. Boozer has a lot of teams that are interested in his services and he will get paid, it is just a matter of where the dominoes fall first before he receives his fat payday.
New Jersey Nets – If the Nets cannot land LeBron and Bosh to come to New Jersey to work with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, look for the Nets to take a long look at Boozer. Although he may not be at the top of their list, Boozer to the Nets would not be a shocker. Boozer is a guy who is great on offense, but marginal on defense due to his lack of height (6-8), lateral quickness, and desire to be a defense stopper. This is where Lopez comes into play. His defense ability would help offset Boozer’s defensive deficiencies, but would it be enough? With Derrick Favors being drafted by the Nets and being known as a defensive freak, Boozer to the Nets does not see as farfetched as it once did.
Utah Jazz – The Jazz do not want to lose Boozer and Boozer seems to want to be back in a Jazz uniform to play with an all-star in Deron Williams, but the Jazz don’t want to pay his salary demands and are weary of how much farther they can get in the playoffs having almost the identical team for the past 4 seasons. Although the Jazz would pony up 12 million a year for Boozer, look for them to push hard for some sort of S&T when Boozer finds the team he wants to play for. Even if it is only in the form of a large trade exception, the Jazz will certainly take it in the hopes of landing a game changer once the dust has settled in the free agency frenzy.
Orlando Magic – After getting to the finals a year ago, the Magic made waves when they brought Vince Carter on board hoping he was the missing piece in getting the franchise its first NBA championship. Well, the experiment has failed with them falling in the ECF and now they are back to the drawing board looking for a way to return to the finals. Although the Magic have come out and said they will probably only make a few cosmetic changes to the team going into next season, a trade that has come up is an S&T for Boozer to the Magic for a few different players. This trade makes so much sense that it will probably not happen. Not only are Dwight Howard and Boozer very good friends, their games offset one another beautifully on the court. Howard is more of a traditional dominating defensive center with a marginal offensive game and with Boozer’s superb offensive skills and slow footed defense; it seems like a match made in heaven. The great thing about this potential S&T is that the Magic would only give up a couple of reserves to get the deal done. Sounds like a steal to me.
Chicago Bulls – The Bulls have been in the media the last few days as potential suitors for all the top tier free agents, so getting Boozer as a consolation prize would be very disappointing to a team who expects to get Bosh, Wade or James in the next few days. However, if the Bulls were able to get Wade or James and bring in Boozer as a complimentary piece, the Bulls would be ecstatic given their need for a low post offensive player such as Boozer. He would bring the offensive toughness in the paint that the Bulls have needed for years.
Miami Heat – Just like the Bulls, the Heat are in contention for the top free agents in James, Wade and Bosh. In fact, they could bring on all 3 with just a few more minor tweaks on their ever declining player personnel. If that does not happen as it is not expected to develop at this point, then Boozer to the Heat is a no brainer. If the Heat are also able to get Wade to resign, then the Heat have in place two pieces who would instantly turn the Heat into a contending team again. The Heat would also have a bit more cap space to bring in a few good supporting pieces to fill out the roster.
Others – Some other teams that may turn to Boozer for his services include the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks, but when all is said and done, the Knicks are looking to team Stoudemire with LeBron and the Jazz would most likely not S&T Boozer to a conference rival such as the Rockets and Mavs.
J.P. is the Co-founder of http://spoonhoops.com/ and a regular columnist and contributor to TheHoopDoctors.com.
