Mike Miller On the Move

With the recent trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers, it appears the Memphis Grizzlies are in full rebuild mode. Miller is a 6'8" wing player, who at twenty-seven years of age, still has plenty of good years ahead of him. Miller has averaged double-digits every year of his career and is one of the best pure shooters in the NBA. This season, he is averaging 17 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. He certainly can help any team looking for an additional scorer.

With Miller having value, this is the perfect opportunity for the Grizzlies to stick Brian Cardinal's contract on someone else. Likely, the Grizzlies will be asking for someone to take on Cardinal with any trade for Miller. Cardinal is scheduled to earn $5,850,000 and is locked in for three more years.

Here are the five top trades, sensible for both teams, that would send Miller out of Memphis:

1) Golden State is always interested in shooters and have plenty of assets to make a trade. By using their trade exception, the Warriors could trade two disgrunteled players, for two guys who could help in Don Nelson's playoff push.

Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 3 Years Remaining) and Brian Cardinal ($5,850,000, 3 Years Remaining) for Patrick O'Bryant ($2,216,400, 1 Year), Mickael Pietrus ($3,470,771, 1 Year Remaining), and $9,999,999 Trade Exception (Jason Richardson)

2.) The Orlando Magic could acquire Miller and Cardinal without giving up key parts. Cardinal would get significant playing time on a team short with size and Miller would be an upgrade over existing talent. Concerns over Hedo Turkoglu and Miller being too similar may arise, though I would think Miller's ability to play and defend multiple positions would be of interest to Orlando.

Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 3 Years Remaining) and Brian Cardinal ($5,850,000, 3 Years Remaining) for Pat Garrity ($3,818,750, 1 Year Remaining), Carlos Arroyo, $4,000,000, 1 Year Remaining), James Augustine ($687,456, 1 Year Remaining), J.J. Redick ($2,000,160, 2 Years Remaining), and Brian Cook ($3,500,000, 2 Years Remaining)

3.) The Cleveland Cavaliers badly need another scorer next to LeBron James and Miller would be a great fit. The Grizzlies would have to take on two mid-sized deals to make the trade work, but would certainly still save money. Additionally, both players are 34 years old and would consider retirement.

Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 3 Years Remaining) and Brian Cardinal ($5,850,000, 3 Years Remaining) for Eric Snow ($6,703,125, 2 Years Remaining), Donyell Marshall ($5,566,965, 2 Years Remaining), Shannon Brown ($1,044,120, 1 Year Remaining) and Dwayne Jones($770,610, 1 Year Remaining)

4.) The San Antonio Spurs would be a strong pairing to make this trade with the Grizzlies. However, they would not be in position to take on Brian Cardinal as well. Therefore, the trade below swaps Miller and little-used Andre Brown for two replaceable players.

Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 3 Years Remaining) and Andre Brown ($770,610, 1 Year Remaining) for Brent Barry ($5,544,370, 1 Year Remaining) and Francisco Elson ($3,000,000, 1 Year Remaining)

5.) Like the Cavaliers trade, the Houston Rockets would also be interested in acquiring Miller, but would the Grizzlies would have to take on some multi-year contracts.

Mike Miller ($8,376,194, 3 Years Remaining), Andre Brown ($770,610, 1 Year Remaining) and Brian Cardinal ($5,850,000, 3 Years Remaining) for Kirk Snyder ( $2,358,433, 1 Year Remaining), Mike James, ($5,926,893, 2 Years Remaining), Steve Francis ($2,439,333, 1 Year Remaining) and Luther Head, ($1,122,000, 2 Years Remaining)

Trade Proposal: Cavs Add Talent, T'Wolves Dump Salaries

As Minnesota lingers with the worse record in the NBA and Cleveland tries to jump into the top of the East, it looks like it may be time for both teams to make a trade. Minnesota is looking to rid itself of some of their veteran players with long-term contracts and Cleveland is simply looking to upgrade their talent.

Minnesota gets:
Ira Newble, $3,441,900, 1 Year Remaining
Eric Snow, $6,703,125, 2 Years Remaining
Donyell Marshall, $5,566,965, 2 Years Remaining
Shannon Brown, $1,044,120, 1 Year Remaining
2008 First Round Pick

Cleveland gets:
Gerald Green, $1,440,960, 1 Year Remaining
Antoine Walker, $8,329,640, 4 Years Remaining
Marko Jaric, $6,050,000, 4 Years Remaining

In this trade, Minnesota would be ridding themselves of two of their largest player contracts. Green has also expressed displeasure with his playing time and it appears he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. At only 22 years old, and 6'8", Green certainly has potential to become a contributer in the NBA. The Timberwolves will receive two players whose contracts expire after this year. The other two - Snow and Marshall - have one more year after this upcoming season, but both may retire.

Cleveland would clearly be getting the better talent in this swap. Walker would immediately become the Cavaliers top big man-perimeter threat and could help take some of the scoring pressure off LeBron James. Jaric would compete for time with Larry Hughes, Daniel Gibson, and Devin Brown for time at either guard spot.

This trade would help both team achieve its current goals: Cleveland would add more talent, while Minnesota would improve their payroll flexibility for future seasons.

Looking Back at July 2005 for the Cleveland Cavaliers

In the summer of July 2005, Cavaliers general manager, Danny Ferry, was very active in putting together a team around his new star, Lebron James. That summer, Ferry signed the following four players:

Larry Hughes: $62,190,940 over five years
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: $50,707,542 over five years
(including player option in year five)
Damon Jones: $16,107,296 over four years
Donyell Marshall: $21,950,004 over four years

The four contracts total at $150,955,782 that Ferry committed to four players. Although the Cavaliers reached the finals this summer, I think Ferry would have gone about his July 2005 differently if he could do it over again. Hughes was overvalued after a strong 2004-05 season. Ferry may have been better off signing Michael Redd or Ray Allen or acquire a wing player to put next to James in a different fashion. Ilgauskas' contract was simply too long. At the time, he was an aging, slow-footed big man. Although effective in the league, Ilgauskas is not the greatest fit in Cleveland. Jones' contract was not bloated by NBA standards, but he is simply a standstill shooter, who cannot run an offense or score off-the-dribble. Marshall also became too much of a standstill shooter, who has not provided the versatile defense Ferry and the Cavaliers were looking for. Each player they signed was too much of a specialty player, who cannot provide the type of support that James needs.

The Cavaliers play a flawed, plodding style and will not be able to truly contend for the title without a true point guard. Although Daniel Gibson performed well in the playoffs, he is nothing more than a shooter in a point guard’s body. The cumbersome contracts signed in July 2005, make it difficult for them to make any moves to upgrade the current state of the team. Ideally, Mike Brown ups the tempo on offense and allows James to become a Magic Johnson-type player. They need to get into their offense earlier and attack quick to be successful. When they allow their opponents to setup on defense, the Cavaliers offense, in turn, becomes stagnant.

James needs to stop dribbling as much and the Cavaliers need to work more movement into their offense. Cleveland is much better when James is cutting towards the basket, then they are when he is standing at the perimeter pounding the ball. Coach Brown needs to get James in the post more, where he can take advantage of his size. Right now, he is not comfortable enough down there, so he rarely posts low enough for it to be effective. With the right players around him though, the Cavaliers would be able to take advantage of James’ strengths and create an offense that will allow the result of the NBA Finals to be very different next time.