Utah Jazz: Wesley Matthews, agent talking to Blazers

MAITLAND, Fla. — Jazz restricted free agent Wesley Matthews and his agent on Thursday night were both in Portland to meet face-to-face with the Trail Blazers.

Matthews' camp has been in frequent touch with the Blazers, who last summer signed Jazz power forward Paul Millsap to a front-loaded four-year, $32 million offer sheet that Utah ultimately matched.

It's unknown if the Blazers made Matthews a formal offer.

If they did and Matthews signed it, the Jazz would have a week from whenever they receive it to decide whether or not they wanted to match.

The Jazz have been quite vocal about saying they want Matthews back, but they have not yet presented him with a formal contract proposal.

Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor and Matthews' Virginia-based agent, Lance Young, spoke earlier this week, when both were here in Florida for the Orlando Pro Summer League.

"We talked," O'Connor said Thursday. "I think everyone wants to shake out where everyone is, and I think the marketplace needs to settle.

"See where everything is, because usually ... the first three or four days there are contracts that are pretty favorable to players."

Thursday was the first full day of the summer that NBA free agents could make good on their promises and formally sign contracts.

After doing so recently with both Millsap and reserve swingman C.J. Miles, O'Connor did acknowledge the reality that the Jazz could soon be deciding if they'll have to match yet another offer sheet.

"Sure," he said. "Look, you can always expect that."

Matthews, undrafted out of Marquette last year, finished this past season as the Jazz's starting shooting guard.

KORVER UPDATE: Though they gave him serious consideration, media reports suggest the New Jersey Nets evidently have opted against extending a contract offer to Jazz unrestricted free agent shooting guard Kyle Korver.

The Newark Star-Ledger reported that the Nets "made the determination that Korver is too one-dimensional to throw a five-year contract."

The Nets did come to agreement on a five-year, $35 million deal with Los Angeles Clippers small forward Travis Outlaw.

According to the New York Post, unidentified "independent sources told The Post that Korver would also join the Nets," but unidentified "team sources said the money marked for Outlaw would prevent them from doing that."

The Jazz — at least for now — are not expected to re-sign Korver, who backed up Matthews last season.

CAP CRUNCH: O'Connor did not seem particularly pleased when the NBA's team payroll salary cap for next season came in Wednesday night at $58.044 million — about $2 million more than many expected.

"It hurts us ... because it gives other teams more money," the Jazz GM said.

But the Jazz will benefit from the league setting its luxury tax threshold for next season — the amount over which teams cannot spend on salaries without incurring a dollar-for-dollar tax — at $70.307 million.

That's more than $1 million above what some suspected, and give the Jazz a little more wiggle room before it face having to pay taxes for a second straight year.

BREWER BATTLE: O'Connor on Wednesday said the Jazz had "interest" in pursuing unrestricted free agent shooting guard Ronnie Brewer, whom Utah traded to Memphis last February.

Sports Illustrated, meanwhile, cited unnamed "sources" as saying that even with Rudy Gay "on board," Memphis still is "hoping to bring Brewer back."