This whole thing is a not very obvious attempt to cow Utah into doing the Boozer trade that could net us a Gerald Wallace.
The Blazers don't really want Millsap if we could get a starting SF instead. But threatening to make the offer drives Utah to the table, since they want Millsap more than they want Boozer, and they don't want to pony up $9 million for Millsap.
For them, it is a simple problem: either
1: Deal Boozer for BIG cap relief, or
2: Keep Boozer *and* Millsap at an extravagant cost, or
3: Watch Millsap leave with nothing to show for him.
As long as KP makes the threat credible (he'll follow through with the bluff), then Utah has every reason to choose door 1, and voila! Portland has a Boozer we can trade for a Gerald Wallace or Caron Butler kind of talent. *That* is what the game is, folks. So don't get too worked up about how Millsap will find minutes here.
BTW, this explains why Millsap is willing to play the game as well. The most likely outcome is that Boozer gets traded, giving Millsap the starting role outright. The other outcome is that Millsap has turned an MLE into $9 million per year (whether he plays for Utah or Portland). He wins either way, so he says he is thrilled to play for Portland as a backup PF.
iWatas
