Monta Ellis has big plans for his summer. After turning down a two-year $36 million extension from the Bucks earlier this year, Ellis opted out of the final year of his contract, leaving $11 million on the table for the final season of his contract. According to Chris Broussard, the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks are two of the franchises entertaining offering Ellis — if their backup plans fall through.
However, Ellis is less interested in following the money and is, apparently, keen on linking up with Dwight Howard in Atlanta. If Howard doesn't join forces with Chris Paul, Ellis believes he can be Howard's Plan B this summer. Unfortunately, he may be the only one who views himself in such high esteem. Ellis is a nice piece on an 8-seed, but Howard is shopping for a pure championship-quality equal, not a superstar knockoff. Ellis is a cool volume scorer to have in your lineup, but how many undersized 2-guards are the second-best scoring options on a championship-ready squad? Ellis is no Allen Iverson. Any squad that invests $15 million or more in Ellis is setting themselves up for a disappointment.
Some desperate general manager will pay the exorbitant fee for Ellis' services, but don't expect it to be a squad mixed up in a championship race.
