Pros and Cons of Signing Monta Ellis

CONS – Evan Siegel

AGE

Ellis will turn 32 early on this coming season. The shooting guard’s main offensive talent is almost exclusively centered around his elite athleticism. That athleticism has already started to decline, and will only continue to diminish over time. The Mavs simply should not pay much at all to an aging player who relies so much on his athletic abilities.

Over his time in Indiana, Ellis struggled to find an ideal spot in the team’s offensive flow. Ellis was ineffective when trying to share the ball with Paul George, and Jeff Teague. The Mavs as currently constructed will be no different. Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr., and Dirk Nowitzki will all need plenty of touches to keep each other happy. The last thing the team needs is another ball-dominant guard.

Dallas Mavericks

Defense

Ellis has long had the reputation for being one of the league’s worst perimeter defenders. With a short wingspan and skinny frame, Ellis does not make his opponents work for much at all when looking to score. Ellis’s injury history and questionable effort have also contributed to the doubts about his defensive abilities.

The Mavs had one of their worst defensive seasons ever when Ellis was the team’s starting shooting guard. While part of this had to do with the other porous defenders on the roster including Jose Calderon and Dirk Nowitzki, Ellis was repeatedly exposed as a weak perimeter defender and cannot be trusted to have improved.

Seth Curry

This one is the most important. Seth Curry is entering his second season with the Mavericks. He is coming off the best season of his career, in which he shot 47% from three point range. The younger brother of the two time league MVP is entering a contract year and is in position to set himself up for a massive payday in next year’s free agent market. Curry needs absolutely nothing to impede his progress.

This is where signing Ellis would make the least sense for the team. The Mavs already have their offensive oriented, athletic, penetrating shooting guard. The only difference between Ellis and Curry is Curry’s ability to shoot the three ball. The Mavs should not add Ellis into the off-guard rotation as it will only get in the way of Seth Curry’s developing offense and outstanding three point shooting. If the Mavs were in title contention mode, then adding as many scorers as possible would be the mindset, but the Mavs just are not in that position right now.

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