Like all of the amnestied players, Mike Miller first goes through the amnesty waiver, where teams with cap space have a chance to pick him up before he becomes a full-time unrestricted free agent. Despite all of the contender names attached to him, the Cleveland Cavaliers seem quite interested in signing the 13-year veteran. If he doesn’t get claimed, the Houston Rockets seem to be the first in line.
Miller averaged 4.8 points per game last season for the Heat, but his value is mostly in the playoffs, when the Heat relied more heavily over the last couple of seasons on smaller lineups, with sometimes four shooters on the floor. Miller started five games in the NBA finals, and despite certain games with hardly any offensive impact, his rebounding and hustle played a major part in the two NBA titles the Heat won.
With a veteran’s minimum contract coming his way, it’s reasonable to think the Cavs will be willing to pay around $1.5 million to claim him off the waivers, which would mean the Miami Heat will pay him the rest of the $4.7 million. But Miller, like Metta World Peace, might prefer going to a contender only-team, sending warning signs to teams to keep him out of the game for the next 48 hours before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Cavs can sorely use a player like Miller, who can be used as a stretch four, and in general, the team could make good use of an extra pair of three-point shooting hands (41.7% from beyond the arc last season), although he might have to play a bigger role for the Cavs than he did in Miami, and for a player who hasn’t played more than 59 games in a season since the 2008-2009 season, that’s quite a risk.
The Rockets are about adding shooters, especially now that Carlos Delfino has left to the Milwaukee Bucks. They present the “contender” label a veteran like Miller should be interested in, and it’s not likely he would have to play too big of a role on the team if he does agree to sign with them.