Trying to follow his name in trade talks this summer, Mike Miller felt like he was taking one of those five-city, eight-day road trips that often drain an NBA player.

He got dizzy.

But the merry-go-round has stopped now. The trade rumors will continue and the talks may resurface again, but Miller just isn't listening anymore. He has stepped off the ride.

"At first, hearing my name all the time bothered me, but it just got to the point where I didn't care. Why should I?" he said earlier this week. "The only rumor that's going to bother me would be if they said I couldn't play basketball anymore."

Miller, going into his third season with the Orlando Magic, is in Los Angeles today with teammate/good friend Tracy McGrady, who is filming a new adidas commercial there.

The nearby Los Angeles Clippers were one of the teams that talked to the Magic earlier this summer about a possible trade for him. They were one of many that included the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Magic, trying to fill a gaping hole in their front court, have spent this off-season looking a power player to rebound, defend and score in the low post. Their only real bargaining chip in trade talks has been Miller, the 2001 NBA Rookie of the Year.

"I finally realized that all these trade rumors are the highest compliment you can get. Other teams are out there talking about disrupting what they have to add me," he said. "If I do go somewhere, hopefully I'll make that team better."

Miller has talked this summer with both Coach Doc Rivers and General Manager John Gabriel, making clear his desire to remain here. But they made it clear, too, that there are no guarantees.

"They have to do what's best for them -- they may still have some tricks up their sleeve," Miller said.

"And I'll do what's best for me -- and that's be as ready as I possibly can be for training camp, wherever that is. You have to be ready no matter where you are. And I will be."

Miller ended last season much like he started it -- hurt -- and that soured an otherwise good second season in the NBA. He missed the first five games with a chip fracture in his right foot.

He was in and out of the lineup the last month nursing a sprained left ankle.

He was averaging 16.3 points and 4.7 rebounds until that final month when things fell apart.

Miller hobbled through the playoffs against the Charlotte Hornets, almost worthless with a bad ankle.

"All it needed was rest. I'm 100 percent now and I wish the season started tomorrow," he said.

"If Grant Hill is healthy, we'll be a completely different team, a much better team. And I want to be part of that."

Miller returned home to South Dakato this summer to do two basketball camps, and he was asked numerous times about the trade rumors.

Tom Miller, his father, said he is asked repeatedly where Mike will be playing this season.

"Mike just figures now that's part of the business. I don't think it really bothers him," said Tom Miller, from his home in South Dakota. "I know he wants to stay in Orlando, but he'll be happy wherever he plays."

Most of his summer was spent in Orlando with personal trainer Wayne Hall.

And it's no coincidence that Hall is with McGrady and Miller in Los Angeles today. This is no vacation.

"As a trainer, sometimes your job is to motivate athletes to work harder. With Mike, it's just the opposite. I have to slow him down. If anything, he wants to overwork," Hall said from California.

"I couldn't even leave town this summer to visit family because he never wanted to stop working."

Hall said that Miller has dropped from 222 pounds last season to 215 today.

His body fat has been reduced from 12 percent to seven percent. Hall believes Miller will be much more explosive this season.

"He'll tell me all the time 'I've got the prettiest jump shot in the league,' " Hall said. "But he's determined now that he doesn't want to be just known as a jump shooter.

"His attitude really has changed. I think this summer, and all those rumors, have helped mature him."

The Magic are making plans now to have Miller in their lineup alongside McGrady and Hill. Gabriel has been discounting any recent trade rumors. The Magic already have signed one new power forward.

They are expected to sign another one without sacrificing Miller.

"I felt bad for Mike. He name came up a lot because he has value," said Gabriel. "But we're not shopping him, and we never were.

"He fits in well here. He's only going to get better. His work ethic is unparalleled. That combination of talent and love of the game is going to take him a long way."

What the Magic found this summer was that although Miller had value, it wasn't enough value to land one of the top few power players in the 2002 draft. And the uncertainty over Hill's return left them uncomfortable about trading for him for anything less than that a sure bet.

"As long as they let me keep playing basketball, I'll be fine," Miller said.

"As long as no one tries to take my ball away, I won't have a problem."