Andre Miller On The Block

        Portland is following suit of fellow Western Conference teams San Antonio and Denver in shopping point guard reliable 11-year vet Andre Miller. Portland has been looking for a franchise point guard the past few drafts and look to package Miller and the 21st overall pick for another point guard and/or draft pick. The Trail Blazers have some major injury concerns to worry about- most notably star guard Brandon Roy, who missed half of the 2010-11 season with knee injuries that have robbed him of his flash and finesse that made him so great, but also former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden. Last year's first round pick, Elliot Williams, a combo-guard, missed this entire year after undergoing major knee surgeries on both knees.

        Miller is on the books for $7.8 million next season, but he becomes attractive as a trade chip because a team could free up cap space if waived before June 30th; his salary doesn't become guaranteed until that deadline. The most recent discussions have Miller headed to Denver in exchange for Ray Felton and a swapping of draft picks or to Orlando, along with No. 21 overall for Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. The Magic could then waive Miller and free up money to use to bring in another piece next to Dwight Howard and make Orlando a more likely destination when he reaches free agency.

        Nicolas Batum, a versatile 22-year old swingman, and defensive-minded center Marcus Camby have both been mentioned in several trade offers, but it seems unlikely that the organization will part with Batum and his bright future on the horizon.


By President Corey Ruff - 6-23-11