Monta Ellis Trade Rumors Tracker: Latest Updates for Warriors Star

Monta Ellis has found his name in numerous trade rumors the past two seasons, and he once again finds himself on the trade block heading into the March 15 deadline.

Update: Tuesday, March 13 at 10:24 a.m. EDT

As the Orlando Magic try to build a better team around Dwight Howard, there is still interest from the Golden State Warriors regarding the star center. Now it appears a third team might be involved in any Warriors and Magic trade talks for Howard, according to ContraCostaTimes.com:

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Team sources, once again, refute reports that Golden State is considering trading guard Monta Ellis to Orlando for anything other than Dwight Howard. Warriors management has held with that stance even though the latest possibility includes a third team – New Orleans.

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The report also says that the Warriors won't part with Monta Ellis just for Hornets center Chris Kaman, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

Despite the many rumors surrounding Ellis, it appears that the chances of him being moved in a blockbuster deal are slim.

Update: Monday, March 12th at 3:30 p.m. EDT

The Monta Ellis rumor mill is practically spinning off its axis, with Jarrod N. Rudolph of RealGM.com tweeting on Monday that the Golden State Warriors might move their mercurial star to the Orlando Magic as part of a three-team deal:

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Sources say Magic, Warriors & Hornets are discussing 3-team deal that would send Ellis and others to Magic. Nothing imminent at this point

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@MisterRudolph) March 12, 2012"

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Discussed deal would send Ellis, Dorell Wright and Andris Biedrins to the Magic, sources said.

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@MisterRudolph) March 12, 2012"

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Magic players said to be discussed: Redick, Q.Richardson, Turkoglu, Anderson and Orton. Hornets believed to be unloading Kaman in the deal

— Jarrod N Rudolph (@MisterRudolph) March 12, 2012"

The (supposedly) proposed move would appear to be yet another bold one involving Magic GM Otis Smith. Both of the main teams in the deal would offload bad contracts (Hedo Turkoglu's for Orlando, Andris Biedrins' for Golden State) and bring back quality contributors (Ellis and Dorell Wright for the Magic, Ryan Anderson and JJ Redick for the Warriors).

How exactly the New Orleans Hornets figure into this proposal—other than by ridding themselves of Chris Kaman—remains to be seen. 

On the whole, though, the move would allow the Warriors to get fairly good value for a player, in Ellis, with whom the organization has butted heads for years, while giving the Magic a go-to scorer to pair with Dwight Howard in preparation for another run at the title and the race to keep Superman in Orlando that will inevitably follow.

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Update: Wednesday, March 7 at 6:25 p.m. EST

According to Rusty Simmons of SFGate.com,

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"The Warriors think they could get Joe Johnson but feel he's a more expensive and possibly inferior player to Monta Ellis. They'd like Josh Smith, but they haven't found the Hawks willing to part with the forward."

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The Warriors have been patient in dealing Ellis thus far and hitting the panic button to acquire Joe Johnson doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Initial Update:

Ellis, who is averaging 22.2 points, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals this season, has recently been linked to the New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic.

But there's little chance of either team landing the coveted guard.

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post reported on Tuesday:

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There are renewed rumblings about the Golden State Warriors possibly getting (Brook) Lopez from the Nets in a multi-team deal involving (Dwight) Howard. That would cost them big time, though; Monta Ellis would be part of the Magic's compensation.

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But Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted on Wednesday:

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Nets have no interest in trading Brook Lopez for a Monta Ellis package, league source tells Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 29, 2012"

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, the Magic have "reached out" to the Warriors about Ellis in hopes of pairing him with Howard.

But given the Warriors have been pursuing Howard, a trade doesn't seem likely unless a third team with a solid starting center becomes involved.

It appears at this point that the Warriors are willing to trade Ellis, but they are looking to trade him for a center.

It's understandable given the Warriors have been sorely lacking at the center position for years. They would ideally want a defensive-minded shot blocker and rebounder. Obviously, centers like this are hard to come by.

As of now, nothing appears imminent in regards to Ellis, but the Warriors are certainly shopping him.

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