Kirilenko still on Jazz — for now

SALT LAKE CITY — Without getting into the nitty gritty, Kevin O'Connor admitted the Utah Jazz have been involved in the widely publicized trade talks regarding Andrei Kirilenko.

The Jazz general manager also claimed nothing official has transpired yet.

"We've said yes to nothing," O'Connor said during a KSL-TV SportsBeat Sunday interview, "and I think that's important to know."

Even so, O'Connor "can't guarantee" this deal will or won't happen before training camp begins Tuesday.

Regarding the proposed blockbuster that includes the likes of Kirilenko, Carmelo Anthony, Devin Harris and Boris Diaw, the Jazz general manager called the "leaked" details of the possible four-team transaction "very specific."

"So," he added, "there's credence, obviously, to some of that stuff.."

There's also credence to the fact that Kirilenko remains a member of the Jazz for the time being and that the trade didn't materialize over the weekend as many projected.

Multiple national reports said Denver was slow to pull the trigger, hoping either to convince Anthony, the trade's centerpiece and catalyst, to stay with the Nuggets or to pull in more enticing offers. That, ESPN.com reported, put the trade "in neutral."

It was also reported by the Philadelphia Daily News that the Philadelphia Sixers entered the mix, offering to work out a Melo-for-Andre Iguodala exchange.

Closer to home, O'Connor told host Tom Kirkland that the Jazz weren't the initiators in the talks. In fact, the GM said Utah has not actively shopped the Russian small forward in an attempt to ditch his massive salary. That, despite how O'Connor is often reminded of how valuable Kirilenko's huge-but-expiring $17.8 million contract is — similar, he pointed out, to what was often said about Carlos Boozer last season.

"We haven't made a call all summer long initiating contact to trade Andrei Kirilenko," O'Connor said. "Have we fielded calls? Yes."

O'Connor explained that exploring options and listening to proposals is "our responsibility — to make our team better."

He also divulged this interesting tidbit: The Russian small forward isn't the only Utah player whose name has come up in recent deal discussions.

So, which other ones?

O'Connor, not surprisingly, did not name any names.