Monta Ellis to the Magic: Guide to the Potential Move

Would the arrival of Monta Ellis in Orlando with the Magic be enough incentive for Dwight Howard to sign a long-term extension with the team?

That's the question that Magic fans have been asking since Ellis' name was first mentioned in trade rumors during the offseason in direct relation to who the team could possibly pursue to pair with Howard.

With some grumblings that Golden State could look to turn the page from Ellis and hand the keys over to youngster Stephen Curry, the thought of trading Ellis is a fluid one, and it could certainly change several times more.

The most important thing for the Orlando Magic right now is finding a way to bring in another talented player who will still give the fans a reason to come to the game even if Howard eventually leaves the team, and Ellis could certainly play that role.

Signed to a reasonable contract through the 2013-14 season, the Magic could really benefit if the club found a way to bring him into the fold.

How It Could Happen: Trade

There's only one way for this deal to go down, and that's through a trade.

General manager Otis Smith has really left Orlando between a rock and a hard place in terms of the team's ability to create any sort of wiggle room at the negotiating table, and it's going to be tough to consummate any deal for Ellis.

In other words, this club is going to have to get creative, and that means a trade that involves more than two clubs.

With both Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu's bloated deals weighing down Orlando's ability to be active in the free agent market, the only way for the Magic to bring in a name that will strike chords around the league like Ellis is to think in an unorthodox manner in the pursuit of a realistic scenario.

The team needs to find a way to deal for Ellis while simultaneously freeing up enough money during the 2012-13 offseason to re-sign Howard to a maximum contract.

Potential Deal: Four-team trade

Orlando Receives: SG Monta Ellis

Orlando receives its target in Ellis, who immediately bolsters the overall attack and could provide Dwight Howard with a very convincing reason to stay assuming the two gel together.

His scoring ability is obvious, and his ability to penetrate into the lane and cause the defense to pay attention to him will open up parts of the interior for Howard.

Philadelphia Receives: PF Josh Smith, F Pape Sy

The Sixers can go small with Elton Brand in the middle, which will provide Doug Collins the ability to run with his incredibly athletic and talented team.

Philadelphia will boast three very impressive athletes in Thaddeus Young (RFA), Jrue Holiday and Josh Smith, and the presence of the latter will really allow the team to run at an impressive rate.

Atlanta Receives: PG Jameer Nelson, PF/C Marreese Speights, PF Brandon Bass, 1st round pick from Orlando.

Note: Atlanta was supposed to receive a future first round pick in this deal, but it was accidentally omitted from the initial publication.

Atlanta will have Nelson, Jeff Teague and Kirk Hinrich on the roster, but the team shouldn't have much of an issue finding a taker for Hinrich's expiring ($8 million) contract.

Additionally, despite the promising performance from Teague in the postseason last season, the Hawks would be foolish to head into the season thinking he can serve as the starter without a greater sample size.

The presence of Speights and Bass gives the team good front-line depth after losing Smith, and the club could allow Al Horford to play his natural power forward position.

Golden State Receives: SF Andre Iguodala, G/F Quentin Richardson

The Warriors add to the team's athleticism on the wing with Iguodala, and have the ability to run with any other team as Steph Curry, Dorell Wright and Iguodala lead the way.

Richardson is more of a throw-in than anything else, but he does give the team a capable reserve who can stretch the floor at a reasonable price over the next three seasons.

How Ellis Fits with the Magic

With Jason Richardson becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Magic aren't expected to re-sign the veteran as they turn in a different direction.

The team retained J.J. Redick when he was a restricted free agent during the 2010 offseason despite the Chicago Bulls offering a three-year, $19 million contract. The club will be forced into giving him an extended role without another option at the position on the roster.

It's going to be tough to entrust that much of an expanded role to Redick, and while I'm not arguing that he's incapable of playing a sizable role for the team, I wouldn't feel comfortable having him play 32-plus minutes nightly and expect consistent production from him.

Ellis' slashing style of play could help to free up some room in the lane for Howard to work, and it's possible that the two could really make some sweet music together in the Amway Arena.

Chances of Magic Winning a Championship with Ellis

It's going to take more than just the arrival of Ellis for Orlando to be taken seriously as a championship contender coming out of the Eastern Conference.

Miami poses an obvious threat to every other team so long as its big three remain healthy, Chicago is very much a team on the rise under the leadership of Derrick Rose and it would be wrong to write off Boston at this juncture as well.

Ellis would definitely be a step in the right direction toward correcting the landscape of this team, but it's going to take an additional move or two, or something completely unprecedented (ex: Gilbert Arenas resurgence) in order to make the Magic a realistic contender in a conference that's only getting stronger.

Orlando is also going to need to receive a much bigger contributions from the role players and the team to fire on all cylinders, and that includes getting the most out of a declining Hedo Turkoglu.

It'd be an uphill battle even with Ellis flanking Howard alongside the mountain.

Odds of Ellis Landing in Orlando

Current Odds: 5 percent

As alluded to previously, the odds of this happening are rather volatile, but right now, it's simply not as high as some Orlando fans might have hoped.

New head coach Mark Jackson has already stated that he wants to keep Ellis on the roster upon taking the gig, so it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Warriors will consider dealing him before the regular season begins.

Smith is going to have to be unbelievably aggressive on the trade market in an effort to find a mix of players who can compete alongside Howard this season while also providing value to the team long-term, and that's really going to be a difficult challenge.

The Warriors are undoubtedly anxious to see what their team can do under a new breath of leadership both on the bench and in the front office.

Orlando's best chance of landing Ellis is if the Warriors struggle.