Milwaukee Bucks: Top 5 Landing Spots If Monta Ellis Opts Out
By John Hugar
If Monta Ellis opts out of his contract, he would be a highly sought after free agent. Photo Credit: Pablo Gamez, IsoSports
Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis has one year left on his contract, but there is a decent chance that he’ll opt out and test the waters of free agency this summer. While Ellis certainly has his flaws, he is a useful player and at times he can be quite entertaining to watch. In the right situation, he could be a huge contributor on a winning team. With that in mind, let’s look at some teams who might be thinking about bringing Ellis in this summer.
Philadelphia 76ers
Last year was a crushing disappointment for the Sixers, as Andrew Bynum failed to play in a single game and their offense limped along for most of the year. It might take a little bit before this team can become competitive again, but adding a scorer like Ellis to the equation would likely help. His ability to thrive as a first option would be a great benefit for a team that struggled to find leadership for much of last season. Even if Ellis doesn’t take the Sixers to the playoffs, he could still add some firepower to a team that sorely needs it.
Phoenix Suns
Now that Steve Nash is gone, the Suns are starved for leaders and for scorers. Goran Dragic is a solid point guard, but he doesn’t have much to work with as he spent much of last season watching Michael Beasley fail to live up the expectations once again. The Suns need a player who can score points and put fans in the seats and Ellis fits the bill on both points. Admittedly, he’s not a great shooter, but he finds ways to score and he’s fun to watch. For a fan base that has had very little to cheer about these past few seasons, that just might be enough.
Portland Trail Blazers
Ellis could work in multiple capacities in Portland. If the Blazers are willing to either let Wesley Matthews go or have him come off the bench, he could fill the starting 2-guard spot nicely and form a deadly backcourt with Damian Lillard. The other option would be to sign Ellis and bring him off the bench. Ellis would likely thrive if given the chance to be a sixth man (playing against weaker competition would probably cause more shots to fall), but for some reason no other team has tried it. If Ellis were to sign with Portland and come off the bench, he’d give them a third scoring threat along with Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge and he’d lend considerable depth to one of the worst second units in the league.
Los Angeles Lakers
This would work on two levels; first, suppose Kobe Bryant doesn’t come back right away. In that event, the Lakers could plug Ellis into the lineup and have another capable scorer at the 2-guard position. While Ellis is obviously a considerable downgrade from Bryant, it would allow the Lakers to avoid significant changes to their offensive style with Kobe out. Additionally, when Kobe is playing, Ellis could thrive off the bench. One of things that submarined the Lakers this past season was an unfortunate lack of depth. Adding Ellis as a sixth man would solve that problem and give them one more quality scorer.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics may entering a drastic period of transition. They were trounced by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and it looks like the era of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett might be over. If the Celtics want to remain competitive, they’ll need to secure some quality players. Ellis just might thrive if given a chance to play in the Celtics’ system. Rajon Rondo would be the best point guard he’s ever played with, so he would likely get more open shots that at any previous point his career. That Ellis is also an underrated passer means he could help the Celtics out if Rondo isn’t fully healthy early in the year.