NBA Free Agency: Carlos Boozer likely to wait until season starts to sign
NBA veteran Carlos Boozer will wait until the start of the season to sign with a potential playoff contender.
At 33-years-old, Carlos Boozer has enjoyed himself during a 13-year NBA career that has taken him from Cleveland to Utah, Chicago, and finally Los Angeles. However, the one place it hasn’t taken him is the NBA Championship, and that is something Boozer wants to change as his career is winding down.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Carlos Boozer is intending to wait until the regular season begins before choosing his next stop on the NBA tour, and he will put playoff potential into heavy consideration.
Boozer spent the 2014-2015 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he served mostly as a sixth man off the bench while making $3.25 million with the Lakers, with the Bulls picking up the other $13.55 million for this season. Playing 23.8 minutes per night, Boozer averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. All numbers were a sharp drop-off from his career marks, when he averaged 31.2 minutes, 16.2 points, and 9.5 rebounds per game.
That all said, Boozer’s role will likely be very similar wherever he laces up in 2015-16. 33-year-old forwards don’t typically go from a bench role back into the starting line-up, especially those who are chasing a ring and skipping training camps.
The chance to play for a championship has been a drive for many former stars who have accepted lesser roles as their careers waned on. Everyone remembers Karl Malone being a shadow of his former self while chasing a ring with the Lakers in 2003-04, only to come up short in the finals at the age of 40. It doesn’t always work out, and most did it while joining the team earlier in the pre-season rather than disrupt player chemistry later in the year.
It remains to be seen what kind of interest will be out there for Carlos Boozer at this juncture of his career. Boozer hasn’t exactly had the most sparkling reputation in the locker room and is thought of as a bit soft in the key. Adding that to a potential playoff roster may be a bit too optimistic for the forward, but it appears he’s ready to test those waters.
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