With Mike Miller now available to sign with anyone, it seems that three teams are left in the race for the player: The Oklahoma City Thunder, his personal favorite among those interested in him, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies, where Miller enjoyed what probably was the best part of his career, and the Denver Nuggets, who are rather latecomers into the race.
But his number one option at the moment are the Thunder. After losing Kevin Martin, the Thunder desperately need some shooting ability off the bench. Their problem? They can’t offer anything but a minimum deal, but Miller, who is making more than $6 million a season anyway from the Miami Heat only without impacting their salary cap, isn’t looking for anything more than a minimum deal.
But what is Miller looking for? A chance to contend for the NBA title, which among those going after him probably presents itself in the best of ways with the Thunder, but only if Miller joins. They have an excellent starting five with two of the best players in the NBA, and playing next to them creates plenty of open shots for players like Miller from the outside.
And while Miller is reportedly telling friends he will most likely sign with the Thunder, things aren’t over yet. He has met with the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend, including Marc Gasol. Miller played with his brother during his five-year stint with the Grizzlies. Is it enough to convince Miller to sign? The Grizzlies did reach the conference finals last season and got through the Thunder on the way, but there’s a feeling among many that they’ve hit their ceiling with this core of key players.
The Nuggets are a late entry into the race, but after losing Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer this offseason, they can promise Miller more minutes on the floor than the others can. The last few seasons have shown us Miller can’t play too much in terms of minutes or games in a season, but with Denver boasting a deep and talented roster that should have gone further than the first round in the postseason three months ago, the additional playing time might be the kicker in the chase after the 13-year veteran.