Open season

Late Saturday night, Jazz brass started shopping.

The NBA's summer free-agent negotiating period officially opened, calls were made and between now and July 10 — when contracts can first be officially signed — commitments will be secured.

Yet while they may indeed make a purchase or two before all is said and done, it's likelier than not that the Jazz — Western Conference finalists in 2007 — will wind up starting next season by turning to many of the closet's comfy and familiar favorites.

"As we went around the whole thing and looked at free agents and everything," Larry H. Miller said in describing the franchise's recent offseason planning meeting, "in the end I think this year's team may look more like the prior year's team than any team since I've been in the league.

"I really expect that."

That is not to say Utah's roster will be exactly as it was when the Jazz were bounced from the playoffs by the eventual league-champion San Antonio Spurs.

In fact, it's already been altered with Thursday's addition of first-round draft choice Morris Almond.

But it does suggest the club is more prone to keeping things intact than shaking them up.

"I don't think all 13 faces will be there ... but it's gonna look a lot like last year's team, I'll tell you that," Miller said.

The Jazz owner quickly offered an addendum: "Unless something crazy happens in free agency." And then another: "But I don't expect that to happen."

What Miller does know for certain is that the Jazz are willing to re-sign No. 3 point guard Dee Brown and reserve shooting guard C.J. Miles, now restricted free agents who were expended qualifying offers Friday.

If either receives a more-lucrative offer elsewhere, the Jazz may or may not match. But they do seem to genuinely want both back.

Ditto for No. 3 center Rafael Araujo, an unrestricted free agent.

Beyond that — especially with starters Deron Williams, Derek Fisher, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur all now expected to be back — any addition is likely to be complementary rather than play a primary role.

Miller said the Jazz will shop to see "if there was a way to get a player — I'm gonna say kind of a journeyman veteran, who, you know, can come in ... and lend a stability and an experience level — that can give us 15 minutes (per game) at probably a 3-4-5 (position), most likely."