Sources told us that the Nuggets are now getting strong consideration from Miller along with the early frontrunners in the race to sign him: Oklahoma City and Memphis.

Miller, according to sources, met face-to-face Friday with new Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien after an earlier sitdown with Thunder general manager Sam Presti. Sources said that Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant and Grizzlies All-Star Marc Gasol have both taken an active role in recruiting Miller, who has received interest from a number of contenders after being released earlier this week by the Miami Heat via the amnesty provision.

The Nuggets have joined the hunt, sources said, with the promise of minutes at the wing positions after losing two key performers in that department — Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer — in free agency.

Most of the teams pursuing Miller are offering a minimum salary but pitching the opportunity to take on a prominent role as a perimeter specialist on a championship contender.

The Houston Rockets, sources said, have also made Miller an offer that the 33-year-old is considering.

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The Lakers heard Cuban’s advice and didn’t appreciate it.

“We’re aware of Mark Cuban’s comments and feel they are inappropriate,” Lakers spokesman John Black said in a statement. “As to the issue itself, we will not comment publicly on the amnesty issue as it relates to any of our players.”

The Lakers will not file a formal complaint to the NBA about Cuban’s comments, but the league could choose to fine the Mavs’ owner after reviewing the interview.

Bryant had little reaction when asked about it before Friday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“I’ll bet he did,” Bryant said with a chuckle when asked if he’d heard what Cuban said.

Cuban got himself into some hot water during an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “Ben and Skin Show” when the topic of the Lakers came up.

“If you look at their payroll, even if Dwight (Howard) comes back, you’ve got to ask the question: Should they amnesty Kobe?” Cuban said. “You just don’t know, right? It’s the same reason I wouldn’t get rid of Dirk (Nowitzki). I’ll take a hit for a season rather than get rid of Dirk. That’s just it. I’ve made that commitment to him over the years, and he’s returned that commitment. Maybe that’s selfish, but that’s just the way it is.

“So I’m just saying that hypothetically. When I say amnesty Kobe, I don’t think they’d do it, but they’ve got some choices to make. Now, they’re in a big market, but they’re still limited. The Knicks, the same thing. Boston, same thing.”

Bryant is on the books for a league-high $30.45 million salary next season, the last year of his contract.

The Lakers’ payroll is slightly more than $100 million this season and will probably be in that same range next season if Howard re-signs in the offseason.

This is the last season of a dollar-for-dollar penalty for teams over the luxury tax limit ($70.307 million this season). Beginning next season, the luxury tax starts at $1.50 per dollar and escalates for every $5 million a team is over.

If the Lakers are $30 million over, their luxury tax bill would be a whopping $85 million next season.

If L.A. trims the payroll down to $20 million over the tax, the Lakers still would get hit with a $45 million bill. And they’d be subject to the even heavier repeater rate in 2014-15, although Steve Nash’s $9.7 million salary is the only contract on the Lakers’ books for that year right now.

Next season is the Lakers’ last chance to amnesty a player, and Bryant is one of four players the Lakers can do it to. The others are Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace and Steve Blake. If the Lakers waive any one of those players this summer, they would not have to pay luxury taxes on their salaries, but they would still have to pay that player’s salary.

The Lakers will play the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday.

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Similar to the situation between Scott Gomez and the Montreal Canadiens, Redden, 35, is being prohibited by the Rangers from playing for the remainder of the 2013 season in the team’s anticipation of buying him out this summer.

The fear is that he could suffer an injury while playing for the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. According to the recently brokered collective bargaining agreement, teams are allowed two amnesty buyouts beginning this summer to get under the salary cap. However, teams cannot buy out an injured player.

Montreal already informed Gomez that he will not be permitted to play before the buyout. The NHL does not feel the Canadiens did anything wrong in how they decided to handle the situation, sources told ESPN.

Redden’s six-year, $39 million contract has kept him buried in the minors since 2011.

The Rangers have been in contact with both the league and Redden’s agent, Don Meehan, on the matter and, according to one source, they have told Meehan that he is free to seek a trade for his client.

The situation is not believed to be acrimonious.

Reached via email, Meehan told ESPNNewYork.com that they are “working on the situation” and that he hoped to have more clarity by Tuesday.

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After a series of conference calls on Friday to go over the league’s latest proposal — submitted to the union on Thursday evening — staff members from both the NHL and NHLPA met face-to-face at NHL offices in Manhattan on Sunday. The two sides met for approximately three hours before the union met internally to determine whether to reconvene.

The union’s decision to wait to meet until Monday could be an indication that it will come back to the league with a counter-proposal of its own.

Should the NHLPA counter with its own offer, it is possible the union will take issue with the proposed $60 million salary to take effect for the 2013-14 season, a steep decrease from the $70.2 million cap for the 2012-13 season (pro-rated). It is believed that players are concerned with escrow rates as well.

Sunday’s face-to-face meeting was the first time the two sides have been in the same room since a failed second attempt at federal mediation over two weeks ago.

The window to salvage the season is narrowing each day that goes by without a new agreement in place.

In the NHL’s latest proposal, which featured concessions on term limits, salary variance and amnesty buyouts, the league provided the union with some key dates to save the 2012-13 season.

The league indicated that a deal would have to be in place by Jan. 11, to provide teams with a one-week training camp before what would be slated as the season opener on Jan. 19.

There is another deadline looming for the union as well. The NHLPA has until Wednesday to file a disclaimer of interest, which would essentially dissolve the union. The union membership voted last week — a vote that passed overwhelmingly — to authorize the executive board the power to decide.

The league has already canceled all games through Jan. 14, including the annual Winter Classic, which was originally scheduled to take place Monday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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