The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of tough decisions to make this summer and whether to waive Darius Miller is one of them.
The New Orleans Pelicans have until July 8, 2020 to make a decision on small forward Darius Miller, who was injured playing three-on-three last summer.
Miller ruptured his Achilles just after signing a new two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and hasn’t seen the floor since. It was expected that he would miss 6-7 months, so Miller had a small chance of returning if the season hadn’t been suspended.
Miller is an interesting player, as he was starting to come on for the Pelicans and is the type of floor spacer and shooter that they could use in the second unit.
Miller averaged a career-high 8.2 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts in his last full season for the Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans don’t have a ton of needs, but when you have a dominant paint player like Zion Williamson, shooters and floor spacers will always be a priority.
Miller fits the bill. He is a 6-foot-6 small forward who shoots 38.2 percent from 3-point range for his career and was evolving into a valuable bench player for the Pelicans before he was injured.
July 8 is an important date because that’s the date by which the New Orleans Pelicans have to waive Miller before his contract of $7 million for 2020-21 becomes fully guaranteed.
The Pelicans are light on wings after Brandon Ingram, and will likely look to acquire one somehow, but the best option may just be to keep Miller.
Miller fits the profile of the type of wing they need, and has a fairly team-friendly price tag, but he is coming off a major injury and the Pelicans may be able to find someone cheaper who is less of a risk.
A solid case can be made either way, so let’s take a look at why the New Orleans Pelicans should and shouldn’t keep Miller.