Report: Mike Miller may not follow LeBron to Cavs, Nuggets said to be 'front-runner'

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When LeBron James signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was rumored that good friend and former teammate Mike Miller would follow him there, adding a buddy, a shooter and an additional ball-handler for James in Ohio.

That may not be the case, however, as the Denver Nuggets have pushed hard enough to become "the front-runner" to land Miller, according to a report from ESPN. The Cavaliers and Houston Rockets are said to still be in the mix, but the Nuggets have come correct with the best contract offer.

That probably means the Nuggets' offer is greater than the room mid-level exception (a starting salary of $2.73 million), which is likely all Cleveland can offer without engineering a sign-and-trade. The Nuggets can offer up to the full mid-level exception (a starting salary of $5.305 million).

Miller's fit in Denver would be a strange one, considering the team already has Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and rookie Gary Harris all vying for minutes at the two and three. Miller is worth more than the $1.4 million he earned with the Memphis Grizzlies last season, but at first blush it would be a strange allocation of resources for Denver.

In Cleveland, Miller would be James' primary backup at the three and could conceivably find run alongside his pal when James plays as a four in smaller lineups. Miller seemed to hint that he could be headed to Cleveland earlier in the week, when he posted a photo of himself shooting jump shots...with a framed James Cavaliers jersey in the background.

With the market currently light on shooters, missing out on Miller would hurt for Cleveland and obviously make their entire offseason a massive failure.

Last season with the Grizzlies, Miller averaged 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists but shot a robust 45.9 percent on threes. A career 40.9 percent long-range marksman, Miller hasn't averaged double-figures in scoring since 2009-10 but remains an effective offensive weapon, especially as a floor-spacer, since it's far too risky to help off of him from the corners.