PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Andre Miller will be one of the top available free agents this summer. He just doesn’t want to say if the Philadelphia 76ers are one of the teams he will consider.
If the star point guard does return, there’s no guarantee Tony DiLeo will be back to coach him.
Miller and DiLeo said little about their futures Thursday night after the 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic. Miller led the Sixers with 24 points in the 114-89 loss in Game 6.
Miller hasn’t missed a game since the 76ers acquired him from Denver in a trade for Allen Iverson in 2006. The 33-year-old showed no signs of slowing down this season, averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 assists in 36.3 minutes.
ing for one last big payday before he retires.
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Miller said of his future. “It was a good year and I was prepared to win the series. But things happen.”
DiLeo was the assistant general manager when he moved to the bench in December to replace the fired Maurice Cheeks. The Sixers had a losing record when DiLeo took over, then went 32-27 to get the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The mild-mannered DiLeo has the option of returning to the front office if he does not want to coach, and will make the decision after consulting with general manager Ed Stefanski.
“At some point, Ed and I will sit down together,” DiLeo said. “I will get it from his side and he will get my thoughts from my side. We’ll make a decision mutually. Right now, I just need some space and some time to step away.”
The Sixers also don’t know how forward Elton Brand, their free-agent coup last summer, will come back after missing basically two full seasons with various injuries. He had trouble adjusting his style with the fastbreaking Sixers before he needed shoulder surgery in February.
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