SALT LAKE CITY -- Hello, Matt Harpring. Goodbye, Donyell Marshall.

	Harpring

Harpring signed a four-year, $18.5 million contract Thursday with the Utah Jazz. He is expected to earn $4 million next season, eroding most of Utah's $4.5 million midlevel salary exception.

He could have earned more money elsewhere, most likely with the Chicago Bulls, but he sees himself as a blue-collar player who fits alongside John Stockton, Karl Malone and Utah coach Jerry Sloan.

"I just see the Jazz as a better basketball place than Chicago,'' said Harpring, who played in Philadelphia last season. "Coach Sloan -- I've always enjoyed watching him. He's one of a handful of coaches I'd like to play for.''

As for Stockton and Malone, Harpring said: "It's fun to be on a team with guys who want to win.''

The deal means the Jazz have severed ties with Marshall after two seasons. Going into the offseason, team officials said re-signing the free agent forward was their top priority.

"Donyell will be playing somewhere else,'' said Jazz owner Larry Miller.

Marshall has been far from the Jazz during negotiations.

Utah opened with a three-year, $24 million offer, but agent Dwight Manley wanted six years at $60 million. After the salary cap was readjusted to $40.2 million, the Jazz changed their offer to three years at $21 million.

Talks stalled, and Miller decided to move on.

"We needed to have our destiny in our own hands,'' Miller said. "When you're playing musical chairs and it's down to the last one standing, we couldn't afford to be doing that.''

Marshall earned $6.5 million last season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds to rank second on the Jazz in both categories. He has averaged 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in his eight-year career.

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Harpring has career averages of 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in four NBA seasons with three teams. Last season was his most productive -- he averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in Philadelphia.

The 76ers made a qualifying offer to Harpring in July but then rescinded it, making him an unrestricted free agent. Philadelphia then landed Keith Van Horn in a trade from New Jersey.

With the Jazz, Harpring will compete with Andrei Kirilenko for playing time, though he also could relieve Malone or rotate with recently acquired swingman Calbert Cheaney.

"I don't really worry about starting,'' Harpring said. "I just want to be on the court. I'll play the 2, 3, 4, whatever they need me to do. If I'm having a bad scoring night, you'll see me rebounding and playing defense.''

Harpring played in only four games in 1999-2000 because of a torn tendon in his left ankle. He's also battled bone spurs, but he appeared healthy after playing in 81 games last season.

"It's a thing of the past,'' Harpring said. "My biggest injury was in my second year in the league.''

The 26-year-old Harpring also leads a youth movement in Utah, which for years was seen as one of the NBA's oldest teams.

Stockton is 40 and Malone turned 39 last month, but next season's Jazz lineup will include Kirilekno (21), Curtis Borchardt (21), DeShawn Stevenson (21), Raul Lopez (22) and Jarron Collins (23).

"A lot of people say it's an old franchise,'' Harpring said. "We're getting younger and getting better.''

Miller said it's time to look to the future. That could lead to grumbling from Malone, who has repeatedly indicated he doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding project.

Miller hasn't had his usual offseason meeting with Malone, but he plans to tell the Mailman he wants him to stay. He hopes to see Malone break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record in a Jazz uniform.

"We're prepared to help him do that,'' Miller said. "But it's not a game at a time, it's a year at a time ... I've got to address the long-term issues.''