The Heat have offered Mike Miller a five-year deal, worth approximately $27 million-$30 million. Miami has given Miller a deadline of Thursday night to decide. http://twitter.com/goodmanonfox/status/18049281296
Jeff Goodman of FOX Sports tweeted Thursday that the Miami Heat have offered Mike Miller a five-year deal worth $27 million to $30 million with a Thursday night deadline. Goodman writes: "Miller has been told by Miami that the team is 'confident' LeBron James is coming. Miller could likely earn more money with [the] New York Knicks." At first glance, this seems a bit fishy. If there's little room for LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami money-wise, why is the team extending this offer? Well, Bosh and Wade are on record as saying they'll take less money, and Miller is friends with James. As ESPN's Chad Ford and Marc Stein reported Thursday, the team is still exploring ways to dump Michael Beasley for more cap space, which could create some more room. "As of noon ET Thursday, Miami did not have a trade taker for Beasley, after numerous sources said that the Heat -- as they've been doing for weeks -- continued to shop 2008's No. 2 overall pick with vigor for much of Wednesday. Yet sources say that a four-team trade scenario between the Heat, Raptors, Bobcats and Rockets hatched on the eve of LeBron's hour-long 'Decision' special on ESPN would enable Toronto to bring back an asset or two in the wake of Chris Bosh's departure but also avoid taking back Beasley. Which is believed to be the only sort of sign-and-trade that the Raptors would consider. The proposed deal, sources said, would send Beasley and Rockets forward Jared Jeffries to Charlotte, land Bobcats center Tyson Chandler in Houston and create sufficient cap space for Heat president Pat Riley to offer max-contract money to Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and James. The Heat and Raptors engaged in discussions for several hours after Bosh and Wade announced that they were committing to Miami in a package about the various sign-and-trade options. Discussions were serious enough Wednesday night, according to two sources, that Heat officials told Beasley to start preparing to relocate. One source with knowledge of Toronto's thinking, however, insists that the four-team trade -- which would require Houston to send at least $3.1 million in salary to the Raptors -- is 'not happening.' Toronto continues to convey the message that it is a reluctant partner in any deal that makes Bosh's departure more lucrative."
