SALT LAKE CITY -- By signing shooting guard Corey Maggette to an offer sheet, the Utah Jazz hope they've taken the first step in the post-John Stockton and Karl Malone era.

The Los Angeles Clippers have 15 days to match the offer for Maggette, a restricted free agent who inked the deal a few minutes after the signing period started at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday.

ESPN reports the offer sheet is for six years and $42 million

"One of the things we talked about was getting younger and more athletic,'' Jazz vice president for basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said. "He's been in the league four years and he's only 23 years of age. If you look consistently at his numbers they're certainly going up every year.''

If the Clippers don't hang on to Maggette, he will be the first big pickup for the Jazz as they start to rebuild after Stockton's retirement and Malone's decision to pursue a title with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Maggette's scoring average has increased since his rookie season, when he scored 8.4 points per game with the Orlando Magic. Last season, Maggette averaged 16.8 points, five assists and a career-best 35 percent from 3-point range.

At 6-foot-6, he's tall for a No. 2 guard and would give the Jazz a scoring threat they haven't really had at that position since Jeff Hornacek retired in 2000.

While Hornacek was primarily a shooter, Maggette has the ability to do a little bit of everything.

"We think we got somebody who wants to work. We outlined for him what we expected,'' O'Connor said. "Coach (Jerry Sloan) isn't going to pull any punches about anything. He really let him know kind of what we were about and he thrived on that. He liked the idea and wanted to be here.''

The Jazz have about $20 million to spend under the salary cap of $43.84 million, announced by the NBA on Tuesday. Maggette's deal, worth a reported $45 million, would eat up about $6.4 million in cap space.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.