Trevor Booker hints at willingness to return to Utah Jazz

Trevor Booker recently took to Twitter to express his willingness to return to play for the Utah Jazz and help bolster their struggling frontcourt.

It’s almost hard to believe how much the Utah Jazz have missed Ed Davis. But even though he only appeared in six games for his new squad before suffering a left fibula fracture, boy oh boy has his absence been felt.

With Davis out of commission, the Jazz initially opted to lean on young project player Tony Bradley at center. That hasn’t gone so hot, culminating in the Jazz being outscored by 11 points in Bradley’s 11 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. In the subsequent contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Jazz introduced Dante Exum back into the rotation and rather than play Bradley at center, slid Jeff Green down into that position.

Unfortunately, that didn’t go well either as Green was a minus-nine on the night and the non-Rudy Gobert minutes were once again a catastrophe.

In other words, Utah’s consecutive disheartening losses illustrate a trend – the team falls off a cliff whenever Rudy Gobert goes to the bench. Considering that with Ed Davis sidelined, the Jazz have no true reliable backup to plug in behind him, their situation feels a little dire at the moment.

As such, many have suggested that the Jazz look for a backup center amongst the various remaining free agents who have yet to find a home on any team. Obviously, if a player isn’t on a squad at this point, there’s probably good reason for that. However, with the Jazz feeling the void left by Davis when Gobert isn’t in action, a desperation move doesn’t feel out of the question.

Several have suggested that perhaps the Jazz could go after gritty big man Joakim Noah. Although Noah is well past his prime, his DNA is still very much infused with defensive ability that could help shore up some of Utah’s shortcomings.

But aside from Noah, another potential option surfaced that seems to have an interest and willingness in filling that exact role for the Jazz. The man I speak of is former Jazz fan favorite Trevor Booker.

It’s no secret that Booker is quite active on Twitter, and in the midst of Utah’s most recent loss to the Timberwolves, he had some less than subtle things to say.

First off, in response to a since deleted tweet from The Athletic’s Utah Jazz writer Tony Jones, Trevor Booker essentially raised his hand as a player with sufficient strength to play the five – the current weak spot for the Jazz behind Rudy:

https://twitter.com/35_Fitz/status/1196625237628112901

From there, he got even more direct. Considering that Book continues to this day to hold a special place in the hearts of Jazz fans, several of them were quick to respond to his message. One such response was a sarcastic tweet that the fan would be willing to allow Booker to live in his basement if he signed with the Jazz for the minimum. Surprisingly (and I’d assume joking about the living in the basement part), Book replied with a quote tweet, first mentioning he didn’t need the money, but secondly suggesting that he’d be all for a return.

That was later followed up by the most bold statement of all. Booker replied to a fan offering to sign a petition to bring him back to Utah by telling him straight up to “start the petition and pass it along.”

If that doesn’t make Book’s message clear, I don’t know what would. Trevor Booker is open and willing to making an NBA return and doing so in Salt Lake City. The Jazz need only pick up the phone.

Now, I’m certain this will spark some debate among Utah Jazz fans. Yes, there’s no denying that Booker is well-loved in Utah, but he also didn’t look superb in his final stops in the NBA in Philadelphia or Indiana. At nearly 32 years old, many might question if he actually has enough left in the tank to make a difference for the Jazz.

But in my personal opinion, taking this risk and adding Booker would be absolutely worth it and a near no-brainer. The Jazz need help at the five in a big way. Their past two losses have been inexcusable, and to act as if the center play of Bradley and Green (as well as the rest of the team whenever Gobert goes off the floor, for that matter) didn’t contribute significantly to the defeats would be lunacy.

Booker isn’t going to be perfect. He isn’t going to take the Jazz to a new echelon. But he really doesn’t have to. The Jazz would need him to do what he does best – bring energy off the bench, play tough against opposing second unit fives, and simply serve as a stopgap until Ed Davis returns, which may not be too incredibly long considering that he’s set to be reevaluated in a couple of weeks.

In other words, it would be a low-risk situation for the Jazz, who could offer even a non or partially-guaranteed contract to get Booker in the door. Yes, they’d need to cut someone from the roster (most likely 15th man Stanton Kidd), but that’s a small sacrifice to make. From there, if he didn’t pan out, well, it’s not like what they’re currently doing is working any better, and ideally Ed Davis’ return will provide a lift as soon as he’s back anyway.

But on the flip side, if Booker is able to help the Jazz stem the tide while Gobert is on the bench, it could be significant. Book could very well help reverse Utah’s fortunes in some games in the coming weeks. And based on their losses to the lowly Grizzlies and middling Timberwolves, the Jazz’s record and future seeding may very well depend on getting the necessary help to win these early winnable games.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1160657140098523136

Booker would also be a nice addition because he’s already well-loved in Utah, he played for Quin Snyder formerly, he brings toughness to the court and locker room, and he’s a great chemistry guy as evidenced by his last stint in Utah. He still banters occasionally with former teammate Rudy Gobert, and by all measures appears as if he could find a way to seamlessly fit back in with the Jazz from a personality stand point.

Unfortunately for those who would be in favor of adding Booker, though, the well-connected Tony Jones has expressed several times on Twitter that the Jazz simply aren’t looking to sign anybody new beyond this group, which would suggest that Booker, and other viable center options, are very unrealistic.

Nevertheless, opinions and decisions can change quickly (just ask the Blazers and Carmelo Anthony, whose signing no one saw coming), and particularly if both Bradley and Green continue to be negatives at the center position and/or if Davis remains out for longer than expected, the Jazz may have no choice but to look elsewhere. If such ends up being the case, they’d be hard-pressed to find a better fit than Trevor Booker, who already appears willing and anxious to make a return to his former Salt Lake City squad.