Brad Miller leaning toward going to another team

[Tony tha Mavs fan]

Miller leans toward exit
Nuggets, Jazz meet with big man, but agent says Pacers still in picture


The Pacers are still trying to find more money to sign big man Brad Miller. He could make a decision soon. -- Winslow Townson / Associated Press


By Mark Montieth

The Indiana Pacers could be a day late and a few million dollars short in the Brad Miller sweepstakes.

Miller on Friday met with officials from the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, teams that have more money to pay the free-agent center than the Pacers.

"If they throw a big number at him, it could be over," Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Donnie Walsh acknowledged Friday.

Denver appears to be the most serious threat to the Pacers re-signing the All-Star, given its combination of $10 million available and promising young nucleus.

The Pacers, meanwhile, face a cash crunch that must be alleviated before they can make a competitive offer. Miller, who made $5.3 million last season, is seeking a substantial raise.

Indiana on Wednesday signed Jermaine O'Neal to a $126 million contract and also wants to re-sign veteran guard Reggie Miller without surpassing the luxury-tax threshold. It has about $7 million available and is exploring ways of unloading salaries to free up more money.

President of basketball operations Larry Bird said he's confident that can be done.

"It's not a major concern. It just takes time," he said.

One option for the Pacers is to trade for Portland's Arvydas Sabonis, the veteran center who plans to retire. Most of Sabonis' $7 million salary next season is not guaranteed and he could be released without it counting against the luxury tax.

Another option is a trade with Minnesota for the $11 million contract of injured guard Terrell Brandon. That money would come off the books in February, the two-year anniversary of Brandon's career-ending injury, and also not count against the luxury tax.

Brad Miller might be growing impatient. He experienced a whirlwind recruiting effort from the Jazz and Nuggets. His agent, Mark Bartelstein, indicated a decision could come "as early as (Friday night) or as late as next week."

Walsh, who remains the lead negotiator for the franchise, said he's optimistic Brad Miller can be retained, but acknowledged the threat of a tight deadline.

"Those guys (from Utah and Denver) might say, 'Look, you've got to tell me now.' He might get panicky."

Miller met with Jazz officials Thursday and Friday in Salt Lake City, and caught up with Nuggets coaches and players at Utah's practice facility, where the franchise's summer-league team is playing. He flew to Denver with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe for further talks.

Jazz owner Larry Miller said Friday that Brad Miller is upset because the Pacers have not yet made a firm offer. Bird and Walsh say they had to focus on O'Neal first and have since needed time to free up money while letting the marketplace determine Miller's value.

The owner also said he's convinced Brad Miller isn't meeting with officials from other teams merely to drive up his value.

"I asked him that question," Larry Miller told The Rocky Mountain News. "He said, 'If you had called me a month ago, I'd have said thank you but I'm not interested. But the Pacers haven't even given me an offer.' That's hurt his feelings.

"He thinks (the Pacers) think, 'That's good ol' Brad. He's coming back.' But he's got some market value."

Larry Miller, whose team has been decimated by the loss of Karl Malone and John Stockton and is in urgent need of quality players, said he believes Brad Miller will command between $8 million and $9 million the first year of his contract.

Bartelstein acknowledged his client's frustration at not receiving an offer from the Pacers, but downplayed it.

"In a perfect world, Brad would have loved to not have to make any visits and sign a contract right out of the box," Bartelstein said. "But they weren't able to do that. So you listen to what people say and it becomes intriguing."

Miller has refused to discuss his outlook. Reached at his hotel room in Salt Lake City, he declined comment.

"I'm not talking about any of it," he said. "You have to talk to my agent."

Denver figures to be the most intriguing alternative for Miller, who averaged 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and made his first All-Star appearance last season. The Nuggets drafted Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Nene Hilario with the fifth and seventh picks, respectively, last year and Carmelo Anthony with the third pick this year. They also signed free-agent point guard Andre Miller this week.

Brad Miller met with Nuggets players Friday.

"He really wanted to come here," Anthony told the Denver Post. "He's just waiting for (the Nuggets) to make an offer."

Bartelstein, however, emphasized that the Pacers remain in the mix.

"We've made it known that Brad has really enjoyed his experience in Indiana," he said. "I know they've been working hard to create a way to sign Brad, but the world goes on and you have other opportunities.

"We'll certainly keep talking to the Pacers, but Brad wants to get moving on this."

[JoshHoward5]

This doesn't suprise me. A sign and trade for Miller was unlikely in the first place. If the Mavs can't get him, I'd rather see him grow with an up and coming team than a Mav rival that could hurt the shot of the Mavs winning a championship.