It seems that trade rumors won't stop hounding the Indiana Pacers. After reports rose that star Paul George may be heading to Boston Celtics, another Pacers star is supposedly moving camp: guard Monta Ellis.
Jobs & Hire has previously reported that the Celtics have their eye on George to lead their young roster, but Pacers' President Larry Bird hopes to keep their main star by offering him a max deal. Ellis has now become the subject of trade rumors after Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders revealed that the Pacers are "open to moving" the guard since it wouldn't affect the Pacers' primary line-up.
In his weekly chat, Kyler explains why he thinks Ellis can be a perfect fit for the Orlando Magic. First, the guard already had a history with playing for Magic head coach Frank Vogel. More importantly, the one thing the Magic currently needs is a "flat-out scorer" and Ellis, with his career average of 18.5 points, might just be right man to fill that role.
The Magic's Achilles heel comes in the form of scoring - or lack thereof. The Magic currently ranks 29th in points-per-game in the current NBA season. The Inquistr reports that the team is open to a possibility of giving up point guard Elfrid Payton and power forward Serge Ibaka in the Feb. 2017 trade in exchange of go-to scorers.
At 31 years old, Ellis is the oldest starter in the Pacers and among the highest-paid in the team. If the Pacers are looking to extend their salary cap, unloading Ellis through would be considered a wise move. Ellis is in the second year of his four-year, $44 million deal with Indiana, which means he will be unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019. It follows that whichever team that acquires him will be able to keep him for at least two more seasons.
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