Jazz offer Miller six year deal Reports: Utah Jazz offer free-agent centre Brad Miller six-year deal [7/22/03] INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Pacers have all but given up hope of keeping free-agent centre Brad Miller, who is reportedly considering a six-year, $50 million US contract offer from the Utah Jazz. Newspapers in Salt Lake City and Denver, both of which Miller visited over the weekend, reported Monday that Miller was offered about $8.7 million a season. He made $5.3 million last season with the Pacers. Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said Monday he has little hope of retaining Miller. The Pacers cannot match those offers without exceeding the luxury tax threshold and have been unable to lighten their payroll to free up money to spend on Miller. "We've done everything we can do," Walsh told The Indianapolis Star. "We've had the whole franchise working on this for a long time. There's just no way to do it." Messages seeking comment were left Monday for Walsh and Miller's agent, Mark Bartelstein, by The Associated Press. A team spokesman said the Jazz would have no comment. Walsh told the newspaper he had no hope of a last-minute reprieve. "(Miller) is not coming to us saying, 'I really want to be there, so let's work it out.' He's negotiating with us like anybody else." Walsh had hoped to clear room to offer Miller more money by reducing his roster payroll through trades. He said he and his staff have worked "furiously" on a move since last December but have been unable to do so. According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Nuggets were willing to offer a six-year deal for more than $40 million, and Miller did not expect the Nuggets to improve their offer to match that of Utah. Miller met with Jazz officials Thursday and Friday in Salt Lake City, and later flew to Denver with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe for further talks. Jazz owner Larry Miller said Friday that Brad Miller was upset because the Pacers have not yet made a firm offer. Miller, who went undrafted out of Purdue, averaged 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and made his first all-star appearance last season. He was acquired in February 2002 from the Chicago Bulls in a seven-player deal.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting twolvefan11:</div><div class="quote_post">I figure that they are the worst team in the West now, they practically have no one.</div> They just have Harpring, Kirilenko as really good players Then they have whole bunch of young players that need to prove themselves
^^^^ And this season is the most likely one they'll do it, with Stockton and Malone gone they'll be getting more of everything because they have to step it up from last year. If they dont, the lottery looks likely and so does Dwight Howard, a high school senior who plays PF a big need for the Jazz. Don't give up on the Jazz getting no one with free agency, there's rumours in the Jazz/Warriors forums on ESPN about Warriors clearing cap space to get Arenas back and therefore giving up Jamison/JRich/Sura and Mills for Deshawn and Matt Harpring. If they took out JRich that could go through.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting tmac15:</div><div class="quote_post">^^^^ And this season is the most likely one they'll do it, with Stockton and Malone gone they'll be getting more of everything because they have to step it up from last year. If they dont, the lottery looks likely and so does Dwight Howard, a high school senior who plays PF a big need for the Jazz. Don't give up on the Jazz getting no one with free agency, there's rumours in the Jazz/Warriors forums on ESPN about Warriors clearing cap space to get Arenas back and therefore giving up Jamison/JRich/Sura and Mills for Deshawn and Matt Harpring. If they took out JRich that could go through.</div> That would be really cool to get JRich and Jamison, but I like Harpring soooooooo much. Plus I am starting to get into DSteve.
I doubt that J-Rich and Jamison will be coming to Utah, and I doubt Howard will enter the draft. This year Utah will be good, but that won't cut it in the West. The only ones who survive in the West are the Greats.
