According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), former Raptors swingman Morris Peterson has agreed to a four-year deal with the New Orleans Hornets. The source of the report apparently requested anonymity, but says Peterson will sign with the Hornets following a vacation.

Peterson was the Jazz’s main target in free agency this off-season, even going so far as to fly him out for a personal visit with Jazz management. Previous reports claimed that, while Peterson liked the Jazz system and the opportunity to join a winning team, he wanted far more money than the typically conservative Jazz were willing to dole out. The length of the contract may also have been an issue, as the Jazz might not have wanted to give Peterson a full four-year contract, especially given his age.

So where does that leave the Jazz? The free agent market is pretty much barren now, and the Jazz still don’t have much money to play with (and if they weren’t willing to pay Peterson more than $4 or 5 million, they may be even less likely to pay any of the options still out there). More than anything, this may be a sign that the Jazz are willing to commit to the players they already have. Finally, we might see what Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles (if he re-signs) are capable of, and there should be minutes for Morris Almond, too (especially if the Jazz find a way to trade Gordan Giricek’s expiring contract for another point guard).

While my first reaction was frustration (here we go again, the too-cautious Jazz fail to make a move to push us over the top by grabbing Peterson), after thinking about it a bit, I think this will help to slim down the glut of 2-guards on the Utah roster. Hopefully the right players will prove themselves in the coming weeks and months.
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Layton Shumway is the chief copy editor for BYU’s Daily Universe. You can reach him at lss83@byu.net.

Well, the team has had a quite offseason so far, as far as acquiring talent goes. Aside from the loss of Derek Fisher, the biggest team news has been C.J. Miles not playing in the Rocky Mountain Revue.

Here’s a summary of the Jazz’s roster and salaries for the upcoming season. I’m making the assumption, for now, that Miles, Araujo, and Dee Brown all return. Although it’s possible that Miles may be on his way out, and the team will definitely make a couple trades before November.
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According to a Deseret Morning News report, (former) Jazz guard Derek Fisher will rejoin the team that made him famous, the Los Angeles Lakers, as soon as he clears the waiver period.

Fisher was an integral part of the Jazz’s success last season, bringing leadership, timely shooting (at times), and depth to a young Utah team. He will lose out on some $6 million by exiting his contract with the Jazz and signing his 3-year, $14 million deal with the Lakers.

Fisher’s reason for leaving, as discussed elsewhere, was that he felt he needed to be able to spend more time with his family, including his daughter Tatum, who has retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. Salt Lake City apparently did not have adequate care facilities for Fisher’s daughter, and he wanted to move his family to a location where proper treatment could be obtained.

The fact that Fish will be taking a significant payroll hit lends credence to his claim that the move is entirely for personal and family reasons. There have been rumors that Fisher’s agent was seeking a deal worth close to the full mid-level salary cap exception (which would have given him three years at $17.8 million) and that Fisher really just wanted to get back to L.A., but to take these rumors as true now is, to my mind, unworthy of the person Derek Fisher is. We had a great year, and I for one wish him luck and echo Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor in saying that I hope he plays well in L.A. — except for the four games the Lakers play against the Jazz.