Miller was the Blazers' third choice in the free agent market, and their pursuit intensified in the last 24 to 36 hours, about the same time the Blazers pulled away from talks with New York free agent forward David Lee.
According to Mark Bartelstein, Lee's agent, the forward met with the Blazers this week in Las Vegas, after which talks increased. However, on Thursday evening, the two sides agreed to part ways.
"We agreed it wasn't a perfect fit,'' Bartelstein said. "There was a lot of conversation, a lot of back-and-forth, but there were a lot of issues on both sides.''
Bartelstein said the Blazers explored a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, but New York president Donnie Walsh recoiled at the offers. Meanwhile, Lee's camp had questions about his role on the Blazers, who have a solid front line with LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla. The Blazers also were wary of Lee's restricted status, which would allow New York to match any offer. It was the same scenario the Blazers encountered last week when Utah matched a four-year, $32 million offer for Paul Millsap.
"I think they were concerned about a match,'' Bartelstein said. "They wanted to be 100 percent sure.''
