Mid-Level Crisis

The later we go, the more the tables start to turn. Once the dust settles after the first two weeks of free agency, you see what's left and watch as the second wave begins. There are very few teams with money left to spend -- or willing to spend -- this summer, which turns Donnie Walsh's MLE from an unwanted leverage tool to one of the only options left to consider. So who gets it? The more time Walsh takes to mull, the more it seems Andre Miller -- an experienced floor leader who has proven to be durable and reliable -- is the preference. Miller, 33, has been reluctant to take the Knicks' one-year offer at the mid-level because he is still holding out hope he can get a lot more. His last hope may be the Trail Blazers, who had cooled on signing him a short while ago but have recently re-engaged in conversations. Portland, which has about $9M in cap space to spend, is reeling internally after failing on two bids so far this summer in Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap. Miller would almost certainly take the money, but does Portland see enough value in him to go for a long-term investment? In Mike D'Antoni's system, Miller knows his stats will benefit because there will be more possessions per game. In Portland, the ball is in Brandon Roy's hands most of the time. The 76ers don't appear interested in offering Miller, who made $10M last season, anything more than the same thing the Knicks would offer: one year at the mid-level. Philly is already over the cap by a few hundred thousand with just 10 players signed, including first-round pick Jrue Holiday. It is seriously doubtful the Sixers would take a sign-and-trade that included Chris Duhon ($6.03M), which has been suggested. It appears that they are prepared to simply walk away from Miller at this point and go with Lou Williams and Holiday as their PG tandem. So perhaps Walsh opts to wait out Miller's talks with Portland before he jumps at his last option, which would be Sessions, who would have to get a multi-year mid-level, which eats up some of that coveted cap space in 2010. But we've seen Steve Nash take a two-year extension in Phoenix, which eliminates him from the open market next summer. Even if they do nothing this summer, with Chris Duhon's contract expiring, the Knicks will need to find a PG in 2010. Actually, if they sign Miller to a one-year, they'll still need to find a PG in 2010. Sessions, 23, would make the Knicks even younger and even more athletic. They wouldn't be, on paper, that much better, but they would have a growing collection of talented, athletic young players (Gallo, Wilson, Jordan, Douglas). As for Session's restricted status, Milwaukee is clearly looking to save money (see: RJ, Charlie V) and they are enamored with first-round pick Brandon Jennings. Why invest in Sessions for a multi-year deal when you have Jennings now in the mix? And Jennings' rookie scale is far more affordable (the 10th overall pick averages about $1.9M over the first three years) that what Sessions is seeking. One option instead of an offer sheet could be a sign-and-trade with the Bucks with Duhon ($6.03M) as the trade chip. Duhon and Scott Skiles worked together with the Bulls and Jennings' youth calls for a veteran backup. Sessions' agent, Jim "Chubby" Wells, is suggesting there are other teams in the mix for Sessions. The Clippers are believed to be one, despite the fact that they just made a four-player deal that included Sebastian Telfair. We're told the Clips are already looking to trade Telfair, who has one year at $2.5M and a player option for $2.7M left on his contract. So if DW waits out Miller, does he risk losing Sessions?