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Orlando, Fla. » The Portland Trail Blazers are preparing an offer to restricted free agent forward Paul Millsap that will test the Jazz's resolve to match, according to a report Wednesday night on The Oregonian 's Web site.
The Blazers originally courted Hedo Turkoglu at the start of free agency before Turkoglu backed out of a commitment and opted to sign with Toronto. After exploring trade options, Portland apparently has targeted Millsap next.
The Jazz have committed to match whatever offer Millsap receives, but doing so could push their payroll past $80 million, leaving them to incur $10 million or more in the NBA's dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax penalties.
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The Blazers have $7.7 million in salary-cap space and could clear as much as $8.9 million by renouncing the rights to two European players, according to The Oregonian , and can structure an offer in such a way that the Jazz might be deterred from matching.
In fact, The Oregonian cited a source's description of Portland's expected offer as being "toxic." The Blazers could do everything from front-load the contract in the first two years to include a signing bonus that the Jazz would have to match.
The Blazers already have an entrenched power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge, who is eligible for a contract extension this summer along with Brandon Roy, as well as former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden at center and backup Joel Przybilla.
But The Oregonian reported that Millsap has told the Blazers he would be willing to come off the bench behind Aldridge, who averaged 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds last season.
Millsap's agent, DeAngelo Simmons, didn't return a message about the Blazers' interest but said earlier Wednesday evening that he had been talking with Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor and still was awaiting an offer from the team.
"The Jazz haven't given us a number at all, and we're not trying to come to an agreement on anything because we haven't come to a number," Simmons said.
A former second-round draft pick, Millsap made a league-minimum $797,581 last season and has had to come off the bench behind Boozer all three seasons in Utah.
O'Connor declined to comment Wednesday when asked if the Jazz would make a push to come to terms with Millsap.
As for matching any offer Millsap receives, O'Connor said: "Our position hasn't changed." Millsap averaged 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in starting 38 games last season with Carlos Boozer injured.
As it announced new salary-cap and luxury-tax figures Tuesday night, the NBA sent a sobering memo to teams, raising the possibility they could see dramatic dips in those numbers next summer, possibly as low as $50.4 million and $61.2 million, respectively.
"I think they alerted us to that being a possibility," O'Connor said. "Look, we've all got to adjust to the economic conditions that are going on. It's not just the Jazz. It's all of LHM [Larry H. Miller companies] and it's all of the state of Utah."
