Utah Jazz: Boozer wants to stay

SALT LAKE CITY — Last summer, Carlos Boozer listed Miami and Chicago as potential places he'd like to play. On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz power forward mentioned an entirely different city far away from those two possible NBA homes.

While a guest on ESPN's "Jim Rome is Burning," Boozer told the popular sports host he'd be a happy camper if his NBA career continued in, yep, Salt Lake City.

In fact, the current Western Conference player of the week said he hopes the Jazz are "very aggressive" in their attempts to re-sign him after his six-year contract with Utah expires this offseason.

"You know, this is a team I'm proud to be a part of," Boozer said, "and I hope it's an option for me to come back and stay."

That's a far cry from last summer when Boozer spoke openly about being certain he would be traded before the 2009-10 season tipped off. Boozer's statement, however, is along the lines of the sentiment he has put out there to other reporters — that being that he would be quite content to remain where he is.

"I made that very clear," Boozer told Rome without divulging with whom he had spoken. "This is a place I'd like to be and I hope the option is there for me this summer."

Boozer will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Though he missed about a third of the games with Utah over the first five seasons of his current contract because of injuries, Boozer has remained relatively healthy this year. The 28-year-old is averaging 19.3 points and 11.2 rebounds, and he's been one of the most consistent players for the surging 36-20 Jazz.

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