The Celtics won't want to sign any player to a contract that lasts beyond 2012. Particularly not an older player who cannot be part of the ensuing rebuilding process.
So, would a player like Mike Miller be interested in that sort of an offer? Surely, he will have multiple MLE offers on the table and at 30 years of age a five year deal could be the last big contract of his career.
I was initially very high on trying to sign Mike Miller but over the last two months or so I've been wondering ... Does Mike Miller turn down a 4-5 year MLE offer elsewhere to take the Celtics two year offer?
I'm thinking any limits on the number of years on that MLE offer makes it a lot less likely that Mike Miller chooses Boston ahead of other teams.
I am not 100% convinced those 4-5 year deals are out there at all, given his injury history, and the CBA ending...not to mention the number of teams strapped for cash in general. I think a number of teams will be eating the MLE, and these 3rd/4th tier guys are the ones that will really suffer.
I think Miller would be a very interesting option on a 2 year (or he may even prefer 1 year) MLE type deal. Obviously, we need to wait and see how the market shakes out, but I don't think its out of the realm of possibility.
The other interesting thing about a Miller deal would be that he could concievably step into Ray's spot as the starting SG, allowing the C's to explore sign and trades of Ray. Maybe they could even work out some sort of 3-way sign and trade, with them giving Miller something more than the MLE, Ray going to a third team (perhaps one with some cap space after signing a superstar, but not enough to fit Ray completely, so they need to send someone back), and maybe a young player or draft pick going to Washington.