Brad Miller-Interested in Utah and Denver

[senorfrog]

Jazz set to make pitch at Brad Miller

By Phil Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune

If this were a playoff series, Jazz vs. Nuggets would be down to the clincher.
Utah and Denver, each of which has already snagged a free agent the other pursued this summer, are now facing off once more an their courtship of Indiana center Brad Miller.
The 7-foot All-Star, once widely expected to return to the Pacers, will visit Salt Lake City today and Denver either today or Friday, a mission designed to see how much of their ample salary-cap space the Midwest Division rivals are willing to invest in the unrestricted free agent.
The Pacers are still in the picture, agent Mark Bartelstein said.
But, he said, "Brad would not be going out to Utah unless he was sincerely interested."
It's not certain how attractive the Pacers' option is at the moment. Miller earned a little more than $5 million for a season in which he averaged 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and earned a berth on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Indiana has said it hopes to keep Miller, but the Pacers have financial restraints: Already straddling the luxury-tax threshold, Indiana signed forward Jermaine O'Neal to a seven-year, $105 million contract Wednesday and still is negotiating with guard Reggie Miller.
That means the Pacers may not be able to offer much of a raise -- but Utah and Denver can.
The Jazz and Nuggets are the only suitors left with significant salary-cap space, though the Pacers are reportedly exploring sign-and-trade options.