"The Andre Miller-Chris Duhon trade speculation has been rampant for a few days.

There's smoke, but there doesn't appear to be any fire.

The speculation has had the 76ers involved in a sign-and-trade scenario, sending Miller, their unrestricted free agent, to the New York Knicks for point guard Chris Duhon.

But . . . a highly placed source within the Knicks' organization told the Daily News yesterday that there has been no contact with Miller. Meanwhile, a source familiar with the Sixers' situation told the Daily News that no such offer has been made.

Andy Miller, the agent for Andre Miller, said in a text message that "there is nothing to report."

Kevin Bradbury, the agent for Duhon, said in a text message, "It's not true. I have not had any conversations with Philly in regards to this rumor.''

What is known is that both the Sixers and Andy Miller are open to the idea of a sign-and-trade for Andre Miller.

The Sixers have been willing to re-sign Andre Miller for 1 year at the NBA's $5.85 million midlevel exception; that's the most they can offer without going over the dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax trigger point. Andy Miller is believed to be seeking a 3-year deal, starting at $10.3 million.

The Miller-to-the-Knicks talk appears to be similar to earlier rumors of a projected sign-and-trade with the Portland Trail Blazers that would have netted the Sixers point guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw. By all accounts, that one never had any legs, either."