Monta Ellis` name has been a popular one in NBA trade rumors throughout the summer.
Prior to the NBA draft in June, the Warriors were reportedly making phone calls around the league in an effort to find a trading partner to take Ellis.
However, just a week later, Warriors General Manager Larry Riley adamantly stated that his team was not shopping Ellis.
Although he’s been linked to a variety of clubs, Ellis is signed through the 2012-13 season and has a player option in his contract for the 2013-14 season.
His name has even popped up as a possibility for the Chicago Bulls, and a pairing of he with Derrick Rose would undoubtedly give the team the most athletic backcourt in all of basketball.
Ellis can terminate his contract following the 2012-13 season and hit unrestricted free agency; but that’s not for another two full seasons.
The Bulls are a rapidly improving club, and the team is looking to solve its shooting guard woes sooner rather than later.
The position proved to be an Achilles heel last season down the stretch, and with how close Chicago came to reaching the NBA Finals, it’s going to be the first area that the team looks to address in the offseason.
Another major problem with this particular scenario is that the Bulls have a lot of outstanding financial commitments.
The club has almost $42 million on the books for 2013-14, and that doesn’t include franchise player Derrick Rose. His current deal concludes after the 2011-12 season and the Bulls will have to shell out major coin to retain him.
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement almost certain to bring harsher financial restrictions for teams’ spending limits, there may not be enough money to go around to make this scenario is feasible one.
If the Bulls are serious about adding Ellis to the fold, a trade is likely the team’s only route to do so.
However, it’s going to be a little challenging for the team to cook up a package that is enticing enough for Golden State to bite on.
The team has a lot of complementary pieces, but the Warriors are going to be asking for quite a bit in return for the bona fide scorer.
Golden State is unlikely to have a strong interest in Carlos Boozer, as the team already has a sizable chunk of change invested in David Lee. The Warriors would likely love to swap in Joakim Noah for Andris Biedrins, but Chicago has expressed an unwillingness to move the center in any package, including one who could have netted Carmelo Anthony.
It’s possible that Luol Deng’s name could pop up in the discussion as well, but after a season where he really re-invented his image around the league, the Bulls may be reluctant to part with him.
Chicago is going to have to give up something of value if Ellis is going to be brought aboard, as the Warriors aren’t going to simply take a combination of role players in return.
Most Likely Trade: SG Monta Ellis and SF/PF Louis Amundson to Chicago in exchange for SF Luol Deng, C Omer Asik, a future first-round pick and future second-round pick. As previously alluded to, Ellis’ pairing with Rose in the same backcourt would give the Bulls the most explosive combination in all of basketball.
Some like to inexplicably brush off Ellis’ scoring talent; but he’s proven to be a downright stud when it comes to scoring the rock. Only 16 guards shot more efficiently from the floor last season, and Ellis doesn’t get the credit that he deserves at the offensive end.
Defensively, Ellis finished third in the league in steals last season, behind only Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo. For those that say he doesn’t play any defense, by comparison, Rose averaged just 1.1 steals last season, a new career-high for him.
There’s no doubt that the club would have to make some adjustments to the attack because both Rose and Ellis have prominent roles in an offense. But I’m certain that they’d find a way to make it work if it meant harboring two immense talents together on the same team.
The Bulls narrowly missed the mark last season after falling to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the team is loaded up to make another run toward prominence.
Despite the team likely having to sacrifice one of its contributors in an effort to bring in Ellis, the Bulls would have to feel good about the prospects of success when pairing him with Rose.
Ellis isn’t afraid to take his attack inside to the rim, and he also possesses a dynamic jumper that forces his opponents to be honest and come out to challenge him on the perimeter.
His defensive style of play is characterized by a lot of gambling, but head coach Tom Thibodeau may be able to make a tweak or two in an effort to round out his defensive approach.
On paper, the Bulls would look really solid with a core of Rose, Ellis, Boozer and Noah, but this lineup is one that would have to stay healthy in order to fire on all cylinders.
Outside of Rose, the latter three players haven’t exactly been symbols of harbinger’s of health throughout their careers.
The odds on Ellis landing in Chicago might fluctuate slightly, but it sounds as if the Warriors have every intention of keeping him on the team after briefly exploring the possibility of a deal.
New head coach Mark Jackson has made no secret of his passion for Ellis, and he has gone on the record stating that he wants him to remain with the Warriors.
With the comments from GM Larry Riley and Jackson echoing the same sentiment of Ellis remaining in town, it’s going to be tough for the Bulls to coax the Warriors into thinking it’s a good idea to trade their best player.
The numbers may not match up favorably in this scenario, as the Bulls aren’t going to pull the trigger on a major move without taking care of Derrick Rose’s soon to be expiring contract first.
There is a considerable amount of work to be done if the Bulls are looking to land Ellis, and with the lockout shortening the amount of time teams have to do work in the front office, it’s going to be an even greater challenge to land Ellis in Chicago.
It’s a possible, but not probable, that Ellis could wind up with the Bulls.
Source: Bleacher Report
Photos: Jacek Urbanczyk/Polish News