Al Jefferson is going to be a sought-after free agent this summer — big men who can get you 15 points and 11.8 rebounds a game, can pass and bring a good work ethic to the locker room are not that easy to find.

Predicting where he will play next season is impossible — if he gets traded mid-season it could impact his decisions, as it could if the Jazz choose to make a push to keep him.

But he’d love to come back to Boston, he told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

“This will always be my home away from home, first place I’ve been; gave me a chance when nobody else did,” added Jefferson. “If that (returning to Boston) ever happened, I’d love to do that again. But right now, it’s all about taking care of business and finishing the season off right.”

The Celtics are not bringing him back next season — they already have more than $71 million in committed salary on the books for 2013-14 (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green all make $9 million or more, for starters). That will have them well over the salary cap, up near the luxury tax, and without the means to offer much more than a mini-mid level. Jefferson is going to take a pay cut from the oversized $15 million he is making this season, but at age 28 next season he is going to get offers in and around eight digits a season. Boston can’t swing that without a trade.

But it’s always nice to hear he thinks fondly of you, Boston. Look at it that way.