The way Miller is playing he'd be pretty hard to replace right now. For some reason I think he stays through the end of this year and next (assuming that the lockout doesn't completely wipe out the season), as for Joel, I think the odds are better than even that he'll be moved, and Greg won't be moved because he doesn't have any value as a trade commodity that would bring back anything. When it's all said and done, I get the feeling not much will be said and less will be done.
I could live with moving Dre, if they bring back a better, and young PG. Moving Joel doesn't make a bit of sense to me. Having three quality centers means always having good post defense, even when someone is hurt. I'm not down with moving Greg, period. Go Blazers
There is no team option to be picked up. He is under contract. If the Blazers do nothing, he'll be on the roster next season. Miller's situation is the same as the contract status of both Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw in 2008-09. They were not expiring contracts, were they? It is true that Miller's salary is not guaranteed if he is waived before 6/30/11. That is quite different from being an expiring contract, however (as the before-mentioned examples of Blake and Outlaw demonstrate). Portland has 5 expiring contracts on their roster: Oden, Przybilla, Marks, Mills and Cunningham. Of those 5, only Przybilla can be extended between now and 6/30/11 if both he and the team agree to one. The other 4 are guaranteed to become free agents.
How is that different than a team option on next season? Okay, so it's not technically an expiring contract, but if next season isn't guarantee if he's waived before June 30th, that's basically the same thing. His salary can come off someone's books.
Greg Oden's not going anywhere. And I disagree that he doesn't have trade value. Don't think the league doesn't remember how well he was playing before he got hurt. We could get a lot for Oden, but we won't do it.
There are some differences. For example, Miller can be traded on/near draft day. An expiring contract couldn't. I keep hearing people on the radio saying that Miller has to be traded or signed to an extension because 'Portland can't let him walk away for nothing'. That won't happen. The misinformation about Miller's status is leading people to incorrect conclusions. That's why I'm making his status clear. You're right, Nate, Portland can trade him to another team who could cut him and take savings. Or they could trade him to a team that wants the assurance that he's under contract for one more season after this one. His is a flexible contract (which, as I said before, would make him potentially a valuable trade piece on/near draft day), but it's not automatically expiring. Again, I point to Outlaw and Blake, who in 2008-09 had the exact same contract status, just different contract amounts. Neither of them became a FA in the summer of 2009.
