Monta Ellis Trade Rumors: Latest News, Speculation Surrounding Pacers Guard

Joe PantornoJul 2, 2016

Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis has garnered trade interest with the league's free-agency period in full swing.

On Saturday, ESPN's Marc Stein reported the Pacers and Sacramento Kings have spoken recently about a possible deal that would send Ellis to the Kings in a trade involving forward Rudy Gay.

Stein added that the Kings have been high on Ellis since last summer, but Indiana "is said to prefer" trading guard Rodney Stuckey instead.

Kings Drop Out of Ellis Chase

Saturday, July 2

Sam Amick of USA Today heard some different reports:

As a free agent last offseason, Ellis decided to sign a four-year, $43.9 million deal with the Pacers, per Spotrac.

Once a headlining scorer within the backcourt of the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks, Ellis saw his numbers drop with the Pacers last season:

Stat	Golden State Warriors	Milwaukee Bucks	Dallas Mavericks	Indiana Pacers
Years	2005-2012	2012-2013	2013-2015	2015-16
Games	413	103	162	81
Minutes Per Game	35.7	37.2	35.3	33.8
Points Per Game	19.6	18.9	19	13.8

A lot of that had to do with playing in an offense with a premier scorer like Paul George, who paced Indiana's offense with 23.1 points per game.

Given that George can single-handedly carry a team, having a player like Ellis behind him provided the Pacers with a solid one-two punch on the offensive end.

Ellis is an aggressive guard whose slashes to the basket open things up for his teammates. He's a streaky long-range shooter with a 31 percent three-point shooting average, but his mid-range game and ability to absorb contact near the hoop make him a major threat.

His court vision is also an underrated part of his game, as he can play more of a traditional point guard role:

However, Ellis hasn't experienced much success in the playoffs. In his 11 years in the league, he's been in the postseason just five times and has made it out of the first round once.

Since he is making more than $10 million per season over the next three years, the Pacers could view his contract as a financial burden, given his lack of winning. Dealing him could free up cap space and help find a player who is more conducive to postseason success in a weak Eastern Conference.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.