"Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov stole the show Wednesday, declaring that New Jersey was immediately backing away from and discarding a proposed trade for Denver's Carmelo Anthony.

But while Prokhorov made the most noise, Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko was forced to make his own contributions to a day at the Prudential Center dominated by national trade news and speculation.

Kirilenko dismissed a report that the Nets would be interested in him once he becomes a free agent this summer as a simple rumor. He said that he has not had any recent contact with Prokhorov, adding that Utah is still his first choice after his contract expires.

Kirilenko is set to make $17.8 million this season, which is the final year of his six-year deal with the team.

"I've spent 10 years [with the Jazz]," Kirilenko said following a morning shootaround. "That's worth a lot. We established so many connections. Not only basketball, but off the court."

Prokhorov said during a news conference prior to Utah's 103-95 defeat to New Jersey that he could not comment about his team's reported interest in Kirilenko because of NBA tampering rules.

While the Jazz forward has a good relationship with Prokhorov — the Russian billionaire owned a team that Kirilenko played for during his youth — he said that it is easy to link him with the Nets owner because of their shared national background.

"We know each other pretty good," said Kirilenko, who scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals against New Jersey. "We cross many times at different events, not necessarily basketball.""