Salt Lake City, UT -- (Sports Network) - Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur decided to exercise his player option in his contract and return to the team next season, the club announced on Tuesday.

Okur, who came to Utah as a free agent in 2004, averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 72 starts last season.

Over seven NBA seasons, Okur has averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 531 games (373 starts) with Utah and Detroit.