2015 NBA Free Agency Rumors: Dallas Mavericks May Look To Replace Monta Ellis With Danny Green Or Wesley Matthews
Monta Ellis declined his player option with the Dallas Mavericks today and will become a free agent on July 1.
“This decision was made because it’s in the best interest of Monta,” Ellis’ agent Jeff Fried said in announcing that Ellis would elect free agency. “It was more about him taking his future into his own hands.”
ESPN is reporting that Dallas does not plan to re-sign Ellis, who become the first the first player other than Dirk Nowitzki to lead the team in scoring since 1999-2000.
Ellis averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds a game last season. He shot 44.5 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Ellis has a career scoring average of 19.3 points and will likely get a raise from the $8.7 million he made this season, according to the Washington Post. Ellis is coming off a fantastic playoff campaign where he averaged a career-high 26.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds The 6-foot-3 shooting guard shot a playoff-best 46.8 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from beyond the arc in the Mavericks five-game first round series against the Houston Rockets.
The Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Indiana Pacers are expected to be interested in the moody 10-year veteran. The Heat may replace Dwyane Wade, who still has yet to decide whether to decline his player option, while the Pacers are in desperate need of scoring though Paul George’s return will help out in that area.
Source: Monta Ellis will not opt-in to the final yr of his contract & will thus become a free agent this summer. Indiana & Miami interested
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 24, 2015
RealGM is reporting that the Mavs have targeted free agent Danny Green to replace Ellis. Dallas has a ton of cap space available with just six players currently under contract.
Green is a lethal three-point shooter and an outstanding wing defender. He averaged 11.7 points and shot 41.8 percent from beyond the arc last season for the San Antonio Spurs. Green led the Spurs in effective shooting percentage (56.6 percent), true shooting percentage (59.6 percent) and offensive rating (114). He also had the third highest defensive rating at 100.
Green reportedly could command $10-$12 million this offseason and told the San Antonio-Express that he would like to remain with the Spurs.
“They have expressed that they’d love to have me back and I’d love to be back. They have some things they want to do, I have some things I want to do. It’s a matter of the timetable, the money situation, how things go.”
“I know how this business goes. There’s a lot you can’t control. If I get a great deal, a good city, a good organization, a winning team — everybody wants to have that.”
If the Mavericks swing-and-miss with Green,another option is Portland Trail Blazers free agent Wesley Matthews. He is very similiar to Green as he is a prolific outside shooter, is a terric wing defender and has the ability to post up smaller defenders.
Mathews reportedly wants a $15 million a year deal despite the fact that he tore his left Achilles tendon during the season. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 15.9 points in 60 games while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from long distance.
[photo by Ronald Martinez of Getty Images]
