Miller finalizing deal with Portland
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Miller finalizing deal with Portland
Andre Miller's agent, Andy Miller, has confirmed that within 24 hours Andre Miller will be a Portland Trailblazer.
Andy Miller said the two parties are "finalizing" the deal today and it should become official within 24 hours. His client, who has been the 76ers starting point guard for the last 2-1/2 seasons, will receive a deal that one source said was "an improvement" over the deal the Sixers were offering, which was reportedly in the 1-year/$6 million range.
Yesterday, Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski removed the team's offer to Miller, essentially ending any chance of Miller returning to the Sixers. Last season, Miller started all 88 games (82 regular season, 6 playoff) at point guard, averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 assists a game.
A call to Stefanski went unanswered.
Stefanski has said (since free agency's official opening in early July) that he was worried about re-signing Miller to a longer contract because of his age (33) and the team's young nucleus. Stefanski said it might not been in the best interest of the organization to tether itself to an aging point guard. Now, with Miller all but signed and delivered to the West Coast, that leaves combo guard Lou Williams and rookie Jrue Holiday as the team's current options at PG.
Of course, the Sixers are looking at a number of current NBA free agents, many of them point guards, who could come in and provide relief, and experience, at that position.
--Kate
Comments (56)
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at least we have closure— C-Bent- SO the 76ers get nothing for Miller? They draft a point guard with "upside" and get nothing for Miller. No sign-and-trade. No trade at Feb. deadline last season. Nothing. Nice job, Ed. It's hard as a fan to accept this.— 76er
- Tough news. Andre won a few games by himelf by hitting pivotal baskets or helping to rally the team in closing moments. For all the talk about Lou playing point, I remember many times where Andre had to get off the bench in the third or fourth quarters to turn things around or stop the runs by opposing teams -- because Lou wasn't cutting it that particular night. This team has remaining talent but no wiggle room. With his game management skills, Andre helped compensate for missing players in the past and I can't imagine how that will be replaced.— jimmy76er
- Good. Now keep losing pieces till they can get a lottery pick.— HandNik
- Getting nothing reflects on mgmt and their inability to manage. I find it very frustrating that they could not see this coming (meaning, they were never going to pay him) and trade him last year.— psuwelsh
- good, now get a vet that fits the new system and let lou and he fight for playing time. let the games begin!— russ4philly
- This falls under the category of who cares. They would stink with him; they will stink worse without him. Would you spend your hard earned money to see this? PG - Lou SG - Iggy C- Sammy PF - Elton ST -Thaddeus Bench - Green,Speights,Smith,Holiday and whatever one year retreads they can sign. It smells like 20-25 wins this year. This year has disaster written all over it.— syddan26
- Now the axe has been laid to the root!— rayzoe
- "Of course, the Sixers are looking at a number of current NBA free agents, many of them point guards, who could come in and provide relief, and experience, at that position."..... like who? who you do like best out of everyone we're looking at? provide some insight next time please. 6ers are gonna blow this year.— drumminge6
- the sixers need to tank this year, get a stud in next years draft, and they are good to go.— johnnysanz3
- I agree with 26 - this year has disaster written all over it. Every contending team in the east just got stronger in the off-season - while the Sixers got Andrew Kopono and a 19 year old unproven point guard. Oh, and a new (old) logo. Nice work, Ed!— Fozzie27
- This all but asures them a lottery pick for next years draft...one that should be much deeper then this past years draft. I like it in a way. Yeah this year is going to be a struggle but the team is so young that with time to mature and learn the neuances of the game and and added peice here or there next year we should be a championship contender.— traugdog420
- I never understood why they didn't trade Miller either of the past 2 seasons at the trade deadline. In my opinion, if you are not going to with the title in the NBA (and it's pretty obvious that only a few can) then you need to do whatever you can to add talent. I still have no idea why they thought that having a PG who was miserable in Philly and who could play no defense was better than trading him for future assets to continue to improve for the future.— m23haz
- andre who?— lmonzo
People keep saying lottery and draft picks! Next years Draft is going to suck too!- My advice is to start drinking (and losing) heavily!— bgdude18
- Just let Holiday play the point. If you take a look at the market, there are no FA PGs. If I'm a free agent, there is no complelling reason, besides money, to play here, and the Sixers don't have any money. Sure, Holiday will struggle, but both he and the team will be better off in the long run. They seem to think Iggy is an All-Star, so let him step-up and lead this team. Personally, I think he's overrated/over-paid, but my opinion doesn't count.— mfecani
- Bring me Ben Gordon Ed or give up the job to someone who can actually put an NBA caliber team together.— Grill
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- Sixers should have known that Miller was not interested in staying here - and should have traded him last yr - and gotten something - but again, they couldn't b/c they just got Brand - and thought they were a contender... amazing how one bad move leads to another.— AllDawk_AllTheTime
- Joke of a front office. Without a true point guard on the roster, playoffs are out of the question.— mdriban
- Don't worry fans, we run the "Princeton Offense" you don't need a point guard... 40 wins would be a miracle for this team!!! Nice job ED getting nothing for Miller, try selling tickets to this disaster flick !!!!!!— lalleva
- Ed Stefanski has bungled the job since taking over. If he says now that he did not want to tether himself to an aging point guard, how could he not have the same opinion in February? Unlike many, I don't want to look forward to a lottery pick. I want to win!— ejmgolf
- agreed with whoever said they should have gotten rid of Miller last year at the deadline.....what, they needed to hang on to him so they could bow out of the 1st round instead of perhaps missing the playoffs altogether, who cares??.......instead of getting value in return the guy just walks.....and it's is not now, nor was it ever, any surprise that he leaves once becoming a free agent.....terrible move by the Sixers.....no wonder they are where they are— GreenReaper
- At least the old unies are back.— Vituperator
- The 76er's GM ED Stefanski has encountered one Bad situation after another this year. Miller leaves, the fan base is upset about who is his replacement. The new coach wants to use a new system. Sammy not playing up to expectations. I could go on and on. Ed, if you want to see a full house at the games. I suggest FREE BEER.— xmar
- The Sixers will be 41-41 next year.— Vituperator
- Stefanski's a baffoon...— Jamerock
- this is a bad day for the Sixers - he was the best player on the team last year— osuphan
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- Nice going Stefanski. You pay Iggy and Brand tens of millions over five years and we lose our most consistent player (and leader on the court) for one year and six mill. Now we're going to replace him with Juan Dixon or someone of that ilk? What's the plan Eddie?— Shenkman3
- Miller wasn't going to get the Sixers out of the first round anyways, I say good riddence. They still have the talent to make the playoffs regardless but here is hoping they get a lottery pick. Besides, its the NBA. The same 5 or 6 teams will compete for the title this year.— ESFjellin
- "Jrue Holiday is going to be next D. Wade" -- Numerous blogs/websites summer 2008— phasor
- "First round draft choices that average 8ppg in College get coaches fired" -- Dick Vitale draft night 2009— phasor
- Lou Williams as our starter? we are in so much trouble. watch, we will win 35 games.......AND IT GET US IN THE PLAYOFFS. Then we have another horrible draft spot. We got the wrong "Holiday" this year.— bigfella
- Now if we can just dump Stefanski then we would be in great shape!— Big Ragu
- ESPN reporting 3 years, 21 mill, with 14 guaranteed and a 3rd year option. Might be worth that to the Blazers, but not the Sixers.— jmk1512
- I forgot about Kopono. Make it 21- 26 wins. Also, I will miss Reggie Evans and his awesome beard. For me to go to a game, I would need the following: free tickets, free food, free parking..... Never mind, why would I waste a perfectly good two hours on this slop?— syddan26
- Reports were a week or so ago that Iverson was headed to Portland. I guess they like Miller better... smart move on their part with that young team. Now explain to me again why this young team couldn't use him? One young team does and one young team doesn't... funny how that is.— regulus6633
- Miller leaving is OK, but losing him for nothing - when everyone pretty much knew he was gone is a joke - why not trade him at the deadline last year or do a sign & trade? Terrible to lose him & get nothing in return - its going to be a long season!— ChangeISNeeded
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- No guards and Elton Brand. This looks ugly.— mungman
- Good, they need to get the core of young guys to lead themselves and not depend on vets for the leadership. Yes, they have to grow up and this will force the process. Young and Jrue will come together make a difference. The Sixers will be in the playoffs for a long time now and if Young, SPeights or Jrue break out they could contend for a title.— LGbalsac
- They should have traded him before the deadline. I am tired of this cheap team, and won't watch any of their games. At least we have the Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.— FloridaBrian
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- Everybody take a deep breath. Holliday has the size, skills and temprement to make you all forget A Miller.— phillysocal
- The only negative about this is that we didn't trade him and get something at previous deadlines. Yeah, he's good but the teams not ready for an older, leader-type point guard. They need more studs and sometimes the lottery is the only way to go. I think a healthy brand (if he can stay that way) and the continued devopment of the young guys is a good thing. I might be wrong but I believe iggy is the oldest of the 'young core' and he's only 26. Remember guys it was originally a 4-5 year plan. And that was 2 years ago. Somehow we were good enough to stumble in the playoffs the last couple years. Give it time. And no I don't think iggy is a #1 on a championship caliber team but you can't tell me he's not a great 'pippen type'. He plays really good D. He can score 20. Grab 6 boards and dish out 5 assists. What's not to like. Don't be mad at him because the team hasn't been able to get his batman quite yet. But why on earth would we trade a guy who has an above average overall game? Yeah his contract is steep but weren't we able to sign him to a higher contract that doesn't affect the cap as much as the same salary numbers would on another team. Anyways, the idea is to keep good young talent regardless of price. And believe it or not, iguodala fits that bill— ILL-UH-DEL
- good for Andre,he's a perfect fit for the Blazers. He played great during his time with this abortion of a team.— Guy Incognito
- The utter lack of perception and creativity shown by this front office by the handling of Miller over the past two seasons is a troubling clue to where this franchise is headed long term. I hope the franchise is able to weather the storm over the next few years and remain in Philly while we await the next front office purge.— barrywil
- I don't have a problem with Andre walking, we'll go from being at the tax level, to being at the cap level, that gives us more flexibility to sign free agents. There are some decent players in free agency and, in today's market, they'll probably come cheap. If Lou can improve his outside shot this summer he could become a big plus, and who knows how fast Holiday will develop, he has a lot of talent, he just needs experience. He hasn't played the 1 since high school. If Elton is healthy and our young players continue to improve, we'll be an improved team next year, with an improved record.
- I find it awfully strange that Stefanski reasoning for not re-signing Miller was his age. If that was the case, he blew it by not trading him in February because one thing that was always guaranteed is that Miller wasn't going to get any younger. I don't get how he just let this happen.— derrickwh
- Poor Kate, she is now stuck covering a guard-flawed Sixers team. The sound you just heard is the door closing on the Sixers playoff hopes. Andre Miller took the Sixers to the playoffs, the alternatives will not. This team should be 15-20 games under .500 by New Year's Day. This should result in poor ticket sales and lack of general fan interest. The Sixers management can be now considered the least effective pro sports franchise in Philadelphia.— RunningTheBases
- People constantly complain that the sixers didn't trade AM to add talent". If the sixers felt that his value was only 6 mil for one year, and he basically signed a deal paying him 7 mil, AM's value was not very high league wide meaning any trades proposed had very little "talent" coming back to the sixers in return for AM's services. The phoenix must burn before it rises again. Looking positively, all of the east contenders are relatively older teams now where the sixers might be able to be trend upeard in a few years as the contenders crash and burn.— Saul Lou
- The money and time frame - 2 years with team option for a 3rd - suggests that the Sixers were penny-wise and pound foolish. It wasn't about the money or length of contract - simply, 76er management just got it in their collective heads that the club didn't need Miller. Absolutely crazy. He was the mentor Holiday will need. This season has the makings of a an ugly one.— CarpGuy
- Its one thing to question the moves of the GM, why don't you see if you could do better. http://gm.paspn.net gives you the tools to make all the move Ed should've made. Build the sixers the way you would've wanted to see them built this off season, including not drafting jrue holliday, if you don't want to.— darealting
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About this blog
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
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