LAS VEGAS - Knicks president Donnie Walsh and his staff are meeting here this weekend to discuss whether they should gamble on pursuing free agent point guard Andre Miller.
The club is denying a published report that the Knicks and Sixers are working on a sign-and-trade that would send Chris Duhon to Philadelphia for Miller. However, one team official said that it is a plausible alternative if Miller turns down a one-year, $5.85 million contract. The Sixers, of course, would have to agree to the deal and would likely ask for a draft pick or cash to complete the trade.
Miller was hoping to secure a three-year, $30 million contract before the free agent market dried up. If Miller accepts the Knicks' contract offer, he could reenter the market and potentially make more money next summer when more teams have cap space.
A sign-and-trade for Duhon would allow the Knicks to offer Miller $7.6million (125% of Duhon's salary for next season, plus $100,000). Miller is not on the same level as Jason Kidd, who rejected the Knicks' contract offer last week, but at 33, he's three years younger than Kidd and would be an upgrade over Duhon, who struggled over last season's second half.
Walsh added a point guard in the draft by acquiring the rights to Toney Douglas, the 29th pick out of Georgia Tech who was selected by the Lakers. Like he did with Louis Williams and Royal Ivey in Philadelphia, Miller could serve as a mentor to Douglas.
The future of another Knicks guard, Nate Robinson, is also uncertain. He's a restricted free agent but has yet to receive an offer sheet from another team. There is a chance that he will accept the Knicks' one-year qualifying offer for $2.9 million.
Neither Douglas nor Robinson is a starting-caliber point guard. Moreover, Duhon's production went down as his minutes increased last season, which is why the Knicks pursued Kidd. Signing Miller to a one-year deal would help the Knicks stabilize their backcourt without compromising their salary cap for 2010.
