Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis will opt out of the remaining one year and $11 million left on his contract, according to a tweet by ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
Ellis will become one of the most sought after free agents this offseason, and will be a major difference maker on whichever team he decides to join.
The 27-year-old Ellis has established himself as one of the better shooters in the NBA, as his average of 19.2 points per game attests to.
Ellis is sure to command a bevy of interest on the free agent market due to his consistent productivity. Most likely, Ellis should get a long term, very high salary deal during free agency.
The Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks may be two possible destinations for Ellis. If Ellis were to join Charlotte, he would become the second half of one of the better backcourt tandems in the league with Kemba Walker, continuing a trend in his career. Ellis was teammates with Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors, before joining forces with Brandon Jennings of Milwaukee.
Atlanta has other goals on there mind however, as they are attempting to pursue Dwight Howard and possibly Chris Paul in free agency. Ellis would be a key contributor with the Hawks, although their financial situation, especially if they were to add Howard, Paul, or both, most likely would prevent that from happening.
Charlotte would have the most realistic opportunity to acquire Ellis, as they would probably have enough cap room to sign him. The financial pressure would be alleviated if the Bobcats were to amnesty inconsistent power forward Tyrus Thomas. Charlotte would have a good sales pitch to deliver to Ellis, as they already have Walker on the roster and they have plenty of options with the number four pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Some of the possible options available are UNLV forward Anthony Bennett, Georgetown forward Otto Porter, and Maryland center Alex Len. If the Bobcats’ draft were to pan out and if Ellis was brought into the fold, Charlotte would drastically improve and may even be able to compete for a playoff spot within a few years.
As of now, there are no specific teams linked to the guard, although Charlotte and Atlanta may be two possible destinations for Ellis when free agency begins July 1.