Andre Miller has been a tough player to gauge throughout his career. He's a certifiable starting point guard but I've never really been a fan. Admittedly, some of this probably stems from his clashing with Boston's Paul Pierce when they were on Team USA together. BUt my main issue is that he has always seemed like a placeholder point guard. He's good enough to get you to the playoffs but his flaws and desire to control the offense will only let you go so far. The toughest part, however, is that he's good enough to be hard to replace; you can't just stick anyone in the point guard spot and expect the team to function as well as it did with 'Dre.

For the Blazers, however, I think 'Dre can be more easily moved. Brandon Roy runs the offense there and, at times, it seemed like Miller wasn't comfortable in the offense. I don't think they necessarily need a ball-control point guard like Miller and could get away with someone like Ramon Sessions. And while I think the Minnesota Timberwolves would benefit from adding 'Dre Miller, I doubt they want him (even though he is an expiring deal.)

Enter the Bobcats, who are becoming increasingly desperate to fill their void at PG.

Charlotte gets Andre Miller
Portland gets Ramon Sessions and Michael Beasley
Minnesota gets Erick Dampier, Rudy Fernandez, Derrick Brown. and cash.

Now, one major issue here is how 'Dre will work with Larry Brown. If LB doesn't think 'Dre would fit in his offense, he'll probably want to just make a deal without Portland, adding in a pick or Gerald Henderson instead of Rudy Fernandez. The Bobcats were going after Beasley this offseason and I think Gerald Wallace is a great complement to B-Easy and his ability to guard both forward spots and take the harder defensive assignment is what Supercool Beez needs to be most successful (Portland's Nic Batum also fills this role.) For now, I think 'Dre is the best option for the Cats because he's a vet and if it's not working out they can either move him at the trade deadline or just not pick up his team option after the season.

The Blazers downgrade a bit at point guard (although Sessions might actually fit their style better) but they don't need Rudy Fernandez at all now that they added Wes Matthews and Beasley should have an easier time in Portland. He'll be the fourth big and won't have as much pressure on him. Also, being surrounded by guys like Batum, Greg Oden, and Marcus Camby should cover up his defensive limitations. Portland's bigger need is SF but I think Beasley can get some minutes there and if they're paying Matthews seven million or so a year, they will likely be going with some three guard lineups with him and Roy on the court at the same time.

The Wolves get Dampier's non-guaranteed deal which allows them to just dump Sessions's contract (which is what they've been trying to do) and they swap out Beasley for a much needed shooting guard (and a Spaniard to ease Ricky Rubio's transition, if he ever comes to Minny) and a nice young PF prospect in Derrick Brown, who might actually be a better fit with the current Wolves PF prospects.

It's a solid trade for all teams but it's one that I could see not happening because it's not the ideal for any of them. The Cats might want a better defensive PG. The Blazers might want a veteran rather than two more youngsters. The Wolves, well, who really knows what the hell they're thinking. There are other options out there for these teams (Kirk Hinrich for Dampier, for instance) but for today, this is the trade I'm going with.