The former University of Kentucky standout and Kentucky Mr. Basketball, signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, the organization announced. Miller will join former Kentucky standouts Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo in New Orleans. Because of team policy, terms of the deal were undisclosed.
Although eager to get back to the United States, Miller wanted to make sure the deal was right fit before making the move back to the NBA.
“I just don’t want to come back (to the United States) just to come back,” Miller told the Maysville Ledger-Independent earlier this month. “I’d rather have a spot on the team where I know I can fit in and have a specific role with the team.”
Miller, a former standout at Mason County High School and led the Royals to the state championship in 2008, was drafted by New Orleans as the No. 46 pick in the NBA Draft five years ago and played for three seasons with the Pelicans. Miller averaged 3.1 points per game and shot 35 percent from the three-point line during his first stint with the Pelicans.
Miller hasn’t played in the NBA in nearly three years and spent the past two seasons playing in the easyCredit BBL in Germany. A member of the Brose Bamberg squad, Miller helped lead the squad to two straight BBL championships and was named MVP in 2016 and averaged 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game during the 2017 finale last month.
Miller played for two different coaches at Kentucky and ended his career at No. 34 on the school’s all-time scoring list. Miller averaged 8.2 points per game in his four seasons with the Wildcats and 175 3-pointers, ranking him 10th on the school’s all-time list. Miller played in 152 games, the most in school history.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. He can be reached at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com.