2017 NBA free agency grades: New Orleans Pelicans bring back Darius Miller
The New Orleans Pelicans bring back familiar face Darius Miller to shore up their small forward depth.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed forward Darius Miller to a two-year contract. The news comes via multiple tweets over the past month from international basketball reporter David Pick and ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. Pick reports that the two-year deal is worth $4.3 million. Wojnarowski adds that the second year will be a team option.
Miller will be the fourth Kentucky Wildcat on the Pelicans’ roster, joining Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Over his four-year college career, Miller was teammates with Cousins (2009-10) and Davis (2011-12).
This will not be Miller’s first time in the Big Easy. He was drafted by the then-New Orleans Hornets in the second round, 46th overall in 2012. Miller was a member of a draft class in which five of his Wildcat teammates were also selected.
Miller played two seasons and a fraction of a third in New Orleans. Over 102 games, he started in 10 of them and averaged 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists per game. He also shot 42.0 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three.
Miller was waived at the end of November 2014, playing only five games in the first five weeks of the 2014-15 season. However, he took his talents to Germany later in the year, signing with Brose Bamberg of the top-tier Basketball Bundesliga that February.
Miller played 156 games over two and a half seasons in Bamberg. He averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists during his tenure. He also shot 48.4 percent from the field and 44.5 percent from three.
Miller also had a very decorated stint in Germany. Brose Bamberg won the BBL title each season he was there, with Miller winning Finals MVP in 2016. Miller made the All-BBL First Team in 2017 and All-BBL Second Team in 2016.
This is a signing that helps the Pelicans’ small forward depth. Miller is basically coming in to replace free agent Dante Cunningham. Cunningham was serviceable off the bench, averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game over three seasons in New Orleans. However, the Pelicans are going to need more out of the players at that position this year.
For instance, tentative 2017-18 starter Solomon Hill played 80 games and started 71 in 2016-17. In the process he averaged only 7.0 points per game on 38.3 percent shooting. Quincy Pondexter is the other small forward on the roster. However, he hasn’t played since the 2014-15 season.
Unfortunately, GM Dell Demps stated in June on a local television show that Pondexter’s status for the beginning of this upcoming season is still uncertain.
If Miller can surpass the production of the current starter and his predecessor, this could end up being a very savvy signing. There is a reasonable chance that high-level performance in a German league can translate to productive numbers in the NBA.
Oddly enough, Wojnarowski’s tweet about Miller’s signing caused a number of basketball fans to initially misread the news. Many thought seven-year pro and former actor Darius Miles was the one returning to the NBA.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
We’ll see if Darius Miller can make a name for himself in his return to New Orleans.
Grade: B-