NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Players the GS Warriors Must Avoid in Monta Ellis Tade
Although new Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has publicly stated that he wants star guard Monta Ellis on his team, that statement could mean a number of things.
It could mean that he does, indeed, want Ellis and backcourt-mate Stephen Curry to lead his team for the near future.
It could also mean that his years in the media have taught Jackson the finer points of public relations. It could be that he understands the worst-case scenario to begin his coaching career is to have a chasm between him and his star player.
It might even mean that Jackson is ready and willing to move Ellis but has not heard the right player's name come up in any potential deal. He may feel that any public support from his front office will only drive up the price for Ellis.
Any trade involving Ellis—or Curry, for that matter—will be nothing short of a monumental gamble for owner Joe Lacob and his ever-changing front office partners.
If the team opts to cash in on their guard's value—a figure that is truly difficult to gauge—a trade for any of the players on this list could prove disastrous to Lacob and Co.'s reputation as well as to their franchise.
Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls
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It's no secret the Bulls desperately need an upgrade at the shooting guard position and that the Warriors need to upgrade their perimeter defense.
This trade makes perfect sense then, right?
The Bulls get arguably the third-best shooting guard in the league and the Warriors bring back one of the league's toughest perimeter defenders.
So why do the Warriors avoid this deal?
Simply put, Deng's defense will not be the type of improvement that could offset his offensive struggles.
Deng is not the type of athlete that a front office would covet, especially considering his streaky shooting—he's averaged above 30 percent from the three-point line in four seasons and been under 30 percent in three seasons. Lacking a reliable jumper or an explosive drive, Deng often fades into the background in the Bulls offense.
The drop in production between Ellis and Deng would not be the only impact to the Warriors' offense, however.
Teams would not have to respect Deng's shooting or driving ability the way they are forced to respect that of Ellis. In turn, they could key their defense on tightening driving lanes for Curry and eliminate the open looks for Dorell Wright and David Lee.
OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
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While Rudy Gay's name has garnered the share of attention in potential Ellis trades, the public support of Gay from Grizzlies' owner Michael Heisley would suggest Mayo is the likeliest export out of Memphis this offseason.
And before assuming Golden State would bring back anything of value alongside Mayo, just remember the rumor mill of yesterday that had the Warriors sending Ellis for Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet.
Granted, Thabeet was less than a year removed from being a top-two selection in the draft, but the former UConn big man was struggling to stay away from the Greyhound life that is the NBA's Developmental League when those rumors surfaced.
Write this down: Marc Gasol will not be joining Mayo on a cross-country flight to the Bay Area for Ellis alone.
The lone advantage of Mayo would be his contract, but considering Ellis' production to his payrate—24.1 points at under $14 million per season—the Warriors already have a nice bargain on their hands.
Michael Beasley, Minnesota Timberwolves
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While this is not a member of the rumor mill, yet, Beasley's size—6'10", 235 pounds—and skill set could easily make him a target of Bob Myers—er, Larry Riley.
The former second overall selection out of Kansas State, Beasley showed glimpses of the potential he flashed during his Wildcat days with career highs in points (19.2) and assists (2.2).
But he's far from the answer that the Warriors' front office is seeking—if they are indeed seeking one at all.
He played his way out of Miami with questions surrounding his focus and desire to improve as a basketball player. He often struggled with defensive concepts or even being in the right position on either end of the floor.
Questions about focus and attention to details, huh? Sounds oddly familiar for this organization (see: Brandan Wright, Anthony Randolph).
Throw in the second-overall pick in the upcoming draft—which has been shopped since the lottery order was finalized—and this might be worth a little consideration if the Warriors are enamored with someone they could at that spot.
But a straight up trade for Beasley could be a mess that not even Jerry West could clean up.
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Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
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Smith has long been a target of the "trade Ellis" segment of the Warriors fan base. He's an athletic specimen who plays above the rim on both ends of the floor.
On the surface, he appears to be a natural fit for this Warriors team.
But look a little deeper and his flaws stand out even more than his jaw-dropping finishes.
First off, he does not have a natural position. He's either a small forward with no semblance of an outside shot or he's a power forward with no semblance of a back-to-the-basket post game.
Neither sounds too appealing to a team that would be trading their top perimeter scoring threat and not bringing back the post scorer that this organization has coveted since former coach Don Nelson sent Chris Webber packing in 1994.
Secondly, his impact on the defensive end is felt most in terms of his help defense. That's not an issue in Atlanta where Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia and Jason Collins can man the middle when Smith leaves his man to go help. But it could easily be an issue in Golden State with question marks Ekpe Udoh and Andris Biedrins fighting for the starting center spot.
Smith could thrive in a Warriors uniform and the team could benefit greatly from his services. But that benefit would be so much greater if Smith played alongside Ellis, not at the expense of him.
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers
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This rumor is even older than the Mayo talks, yet remains on the forefront of potential Ellis moves.
The "trade Ellis" supporters are enamored with Iguodala's defensive and ball-handling ability.
And while the team could certainly use his defensive acumen, the ball-handling aspect of Iguodala's game could bring the club more harm than good.
For one, it takes the ball out of budding superstar Stephen Curry's hands. One of the major complaints from the "trade Ellis" crowd is that he dominates the ball and, thus, stunts the development of Curry. Yet, they should expect even more Warriors play with the ball out of Curry's hands if Iguodala came aboard.
What's more is that Ellis is the more productive player with the ball in his hands. Iguodala's credited with better decision making, but his career assist-to-turnover ratio is only slightly better than that of Ellis—4.8-to-2.43 compared to 4.2-to-2.7, respectively.
The scoring ability of both is not even comparable, as Ellis averaged 10 points more per game this season. Ellis was the more effective clutch player of the two—48.4 field goal percentage and 46.9 three-point percentage to Iguodala's 30.9 field goal percentage and 11.1 three-point percentage.
Iguodala alongside Dorell Wright would give the Warriors one of the league's better perimeter defenses. But with Curry as the only legitimate option to create his own offense, is it that much of a stretch to think that this club would not be any better than the Charlotte Bobcats when they teamed former Warrior Stephen Jackson with Gerald Wallace?
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