Utah Jazz trade Mehmet Okur to New Jersey for trade exception, future 2nd-round pick

Greg Miller made a tough phone call Thursday — one that was part business, part personal.

Considering the importance of the news he had to break and the sincerity of an accompanying message he hoped to relay, the Jazz CEO wanted to make it himself.

Mehmet Okur was on the answering end of the call.

The personal part: Miller thanked Okur — fondly called "Memo" and / or "Money" in these parts — for his dedicated play and effort and because he'd "given everything he had" to the Jazz since 2004.

Miller expressed gratitude that Okur, who worked hard to rehab his injured back and surgically repaired Achilles tendon to 100 percent strength, "played hurt when a lot of guys would not have."

Miller also told Okur that the Jazz "appreciate everything he did." They hope he remembers how important he was to the success of the franchise family.

On a personal level, this was a hard call — figuratively and literally — for the Jazz to make. And it happened rapidly after the Nets learned that their talented starting center, Brook Lopez, had been sidelined with a surgery-requiring broken foot.

Receiving the $10.8 million trade exception was the clincher for the Jazz, who have a calendar year to enhance their roster in a significant way with it.

"The biggest reason (to trade Okur) is we were able to gain what we consider a valuable asset in the trade exception," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "We wouldn't have made a deal unless we got something that's an asset back."

Especially because it involved a beloved player like Memo, who's exuded positivity in Utah for so long.

Okur has been a fan-favorite in Utah for years because of his long-distance sharpshooting skills and his affable personality that was expressed through charming broken English and friendly facial features.

Because of the timing, and considering Okur has to uproot his family, O'Connor called the business move "a lousy thing."

"There's a human part to this that doesn't feel very good," O'Connor admitted. "But from a business point of view (trading to improve your team) is what you do during the season and offseason. You've got to look at it from what's best for the Jazz."