Report: Malcolm Miller has surgery on right shoulder

We don’t have a ton of Malcolm Miller photos to use in articles about him, but if things keep progressing as they have for the second-year swing man, it may not matter. As Blake Murphy reported earlier today, Miller had surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Playing for the Raptors in this past Summer League, Miller was coming off a solid season on a two-way contract with Toronto. He spent large chunks of the year playing for the Raptors 905 in the G League, of course, but had some memorable moments in the NBA. (My favourite was the seven points on 3-for-3 shooting against the Rockets in March.) He appeared in 15 NBA games, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds, while shooting 45 percent from the floor. Unfortunately, Miller hurt his shoulder while in Las Vegas — much like Delon Wright did two summers ago — and it now looks like he’ll miss some considerable time.

To be honest, this is only tangentially a Raptors-related news story now, as Toronto withdrew their qualifying offer to Miller after he suffered the dislocated shoulder in mid-July. Since Miller is now looking at a five to six month rehab time, and the Raptors are working within the league’s thin salary and tax margins, the team may look to move on and pay a player who can contribute from the jump in training camp.

It’s a cold thing to write, I admit, because Miller was a good guy for Toronto, and a good fit for what the Raptors have been trying to do as of late — with both the big club, and their G League team. Miller only played in fits and starts for the Raptors (and wasn’t on the playoff roster), but he did exactly what he was supposed to do: he played solid defense, shot 38 percent from three, and kept the ball moving.

Maybe there’s a chance Miller will still be looking for a spot in the spring, and maybe there’s a chance Toronto will still have a spot open (and the money available to sign him). Until then, we may have seen the last of Miller with the Raptors.