O'Connor: Magloire wasn't offered deal

Jazz basketball boss Kevin O'Connor on Monday refuted a New Jersey newspaper report saying Utah had offered a two-year contract to center Jamaal Magloire, the 2004 NBA All-Star who recently agreed to terms on a one-year, $4 million contract with the Nets.

"Magloire," the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Sunday, "wants to be more than just a thug for hire, which is why he passed up two-year offers from Washington, Philly and Utah."

"Incorrect," said O'Connor, the Jazz's basketball operations senior vice president. "Big-time incorrect."

O'Connor described the Jazz's contact with Magloire's camp as "very, very minimal," and said "there was never an offer."

According to Monday's Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia general manager Billy King also "denied a published report that he had made a (two)-year offer" to Magloire.

Bob Myers, an agent representing Magloire, said "there was interest from all three of those teams" but that O'Connor "is being honest" in the fact that "there was no offer made" by the Jazz.

"There were a lot of people mulling things," Myers said. "There were people talking in terms of two years."

But, O'Connor and Myers agreed, Utah never proposed a dollar figure to Magloire.

Meanwhile, O'Connor said the Jazz — even after agreeing to terms on a two-year contract with journeyman guard Jason Hart — aren't necessarily done shopping the NBA's summer free-agency market.

"You still look," O'Connor said, adding that includes perhaps adding a big man.

Asked specifically about Los Angeles Lakers unrestricted free agent Chris Mihm, maybe the open market's top remaining center, O'Connor declined comment.

ARAUJO HURTING: Re-signing ex-BYU big man Rafael Araujo, the Jazz's No. 3 center last season, remains an option for Utah.

Araujo, however, has been hampered in his efforts to convince the Jazz they should. The big Brazilian had an MRI exam performed Monday on his sore groin. Test results showed no tear but some inflammation.

"It's been bugging me (since) the playoffs," Araujo said after logging just 14 minutes (six points, three rebounds) in the Jazz's Rocky Mountain Revue loss to San Antonio on Monday.

Araujo said the muscle gets particularly sore after he sits for long stretches but that he didn't want to miss any action while trying to secure a contract for next season.