Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors is making the rounds in the NBA rumor mill. Due to the relatively lackluster free agent class of 2011, Ellis has suddenly become a very marketable asset for the Warriors to deal, and a potential championship piece for
One such contender is the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis had a pretty incredible run as the eighth seed, falling one game short of the Western Conference Finals, but ultimately ran out of offensive weapons to utilize. Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo could not provide enough scoring punch, and the absence of Rudy Gay finally did in the Grizz. Also, keep in mind Monta does have a home in Memphis, so he'd probably be very inclined to a trade there.
With the Warriors looking to hone in on defense, they'd probably not be so happy to take on Gay's deal (a notably below-average defender) and focus on Mayo and Tony Allen, Allen perhaps being one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA. The salaries, however, don't match up unless Gay is included somehow, so it's unlikely Golden State would make a trade if they were giving up one mediocre defender for another. It depends on how much defense and youth (like Greivis Vasquez, Darrell Arthur, Hamed Haddadi) they're willing to sacrifice to get the offensive firepower to lift the Grizzlies up on that end of the floor and help out Zach Randolph.
And let's not forget Jerry West once worked in Memphis. If there's anyone who'd listen to West and give him the trade he'd want, you'd figure it'd be Chris Wallace.
If you had to trade Monta Ellis, what trade would you make with the Grizzlies? Use the ESPN Trade Machine and let us know in the comments!
For more discussion of the Grizzlies, head to Straight Outta Vancouver. For more discussion of the Warriors, move on to Golden State of Mind.