While no one on the court at their practice facility Wednesday sounded like they expected any sort of trade to be made by the Jazz prior to today's 1 p.m. deadline for NBA dealing, general manager Kevin O'Connor was upstairs in the same building doing just what would be expected of anyone in his position.
"You always talk at this time of year," O'Connor said.
Talk doesn't always lead to action, however, and that reality combined with the 31-23 Jazz's long list of injuries this season left more than one with the franchise seemingly sensing there is no pressing need, or even desire, to make a swap.
Not even with the team that traded its way to an NBA championship last season — Boston most notably acquired both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team with Paul Pierce in 2007 offseason deals — in town and awaiting tonight's TNT-televised meeting at EnergySolutions Arena.
"We have a good team. We've just had a lot of injuries," said point guard Deron Williams, whose own preseason ankle sprain ignited a string of medical maladies that also has included Carlos Boozer's arthroscopically repaired knee and Andrei Kirilenko's surgically repaired ankle.
"You take away injuries, I don't think anybody would be talking about trades. … If we had everybody healthy, and we still had the same record, probably (then) something would need to be done."
"It's tough," veteran forward Matt Harpring added, "because we haven't had our team together. … It's kind of like you've got to give that a shot, and I think that's what Kevin (O'Connor) has said. So, I think that's what they're doing."
There has been no public indication whatsoever in the days leading to today's in-season deadline that the Jazz have been actively involved in ongoing discussions of any significant on-the-table and still-standing offers.
O'Connor's explanation for that: "We're pretty good at keeping our mouth shut, I guess."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, though, sure didn't say anything Wednesday to dispel popular perception of the sound of silence.
"Kevin's always going to do everything he can to improve the team," he said. "If he feels it's going to improve the team, he'll do that — and we're certainly open to that. I don't have any problem with that.
But, Sloan hastened to add, "I like the people we have. If they come and compete hard every night, I feel like we can compete against most teams."
Even the 43-11, Eastern Conference-leading Celtics — winners of 15 of their last 17 games.
"You've got to have confidence that you're going to compete," said Sloan, whose own club — even with still-out Boozer sidelined for more than half the season, and Kirilenko out 11 straight games until his return in Tuesday's victory over Memphis — has won six of its last eight.
"If you know you're going to go out there and compete," he added. "then something good's going to happen for you."
As for any sort of roster shake-up happening with the Jazz today, the likelihood really does seem rather remote — and probable that if any move were made, it would be more minor than major.
Still, O'Connor intentionally kept his distance from players Wednesday.
He'll do the same this morning.
"I'm like the Grim Reaper right now," he said. "And I understand that. That's why I stay away from them, unless there's something to be said."
O'Connor did indicate that many opposing clubs continue to express interest in an unprotected draft pick, originally owned by the New York Knicks and acquired from Phoenix in a 2004 deadline-day deal that also brought Tom Gugliotta to Utah for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten, that is coming the Jazz's way in 2010.
Most who do, though, evidently are looking to make a steal.
"Other teams try to convince you that the Brooklyn Bridge is still for sale," said O'Connor, a native New Yorker who knows better.
"I've heard some good ones over the last 48 hours."
The Jazz aren't necessarily wed to keeping the pick, but with the Knicks' fortunes next season obviously so uncertain it's difficult to gauge its true value.
"The only thing you can do is look at it how it is exactly today," O'Connor said, "and it would be the (11th) pick in the draft. That would be pretty good."
Which is why O'Connor seems more inclined to hold onto the pick, at least for the time being.
"Going into next year, that's when you decide," he said. "And is it a chip that you have in your pocket that you can use to trade? … Sure."
All of which suggests that for now the Jazz are much more inclined to stand pat than wheel-and-deal.
Which is fine by at least two in Utah.
"You never know," Harpring said when asked if a trade would be beneficial. "I mean, it can help — but it also can hurt. Because you never know what chemistry's going to be."
"I don't worry about that," added Williams, despite his status as someone who just last offseason signed a max-money contract extension. "I just play basketball. … I have no input, no effect, on any of that stuff."
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com