Utah Jazz: Al Jefferson arrives, and Raja Bell is on the way

SALT LAKE CITY — There was quite a scene and a crowd at the Salt Lake International Airport when Al Jefferson arrived in town Wednesday night for a trip to make his trade to the Utah Jazz official.

Balloons, signs, thrilled friends and family — not to mention about a dozen media members with TV equipment, flashing cameras and recorders.

Not all of that fanfare was for the Jazz's new big man, of course. And, no, there wasn't a "Welcome, Elder Jefferson" sign, as some at the airport joked about — but he was clearly shocked by the large reception and 9 p.m. press conference.

The 25-year-old Jefferson even touched his face in seeming surprise and mouthed the words, "Oh, man" when he saw his greeting crew, which also included Jazz CEO Greg Miller.

"It's a wonderful feeling, man. It's a wonderful feeling," Jefferson said of being in Utah after spending three seasons apiece in Minnesota and Boston. "I'm glad to be here. I'm happy to (get) a chance to finally play with a great team, a playoff team."

The feeling from his new boss is definitely mutual.

Two days after approving the trade that sent Kosta Koufos, two future first-round picks and a $13 million trade exception to Minnesota in exchange for the potent scorer and rebounder, Miller said the big pick-up was "kind of fun."

The move came at a good time, too, seeing as Jazz fans were restless after seeing two key players — Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver — sign free-agent deals with the Chicago Bulls.

"It's neat to see how persistence can pay off," Miller said. "You know, a lot of people had us kind of sold down the river.

"As I often have an opportunity to remind people," the Jazz CEO said, "you can never count this franchise out. We just quietly go about doing what we do and make every effort we can to be competitive every day."

The Jazz followed their biggest offseason splash with another ripple Wednesday when they signed former Utah swingman Raja Bell to a three-year, $10 million deal to make up for losing Wesley Matthews to bonus-happy Portland.

"Oh, wow," Jefferson said when hearing the news that Bell would join him. "That's even better."

And that's saying something, considering the emotional high Jefferson is currently riding after being traded from a 15-win team in Minnesota to one of the Western Conference powers.