Golden State Warriors GM Larry Riley says Monta Ellis likely to stay – NBA Update
Ever since the regular season ended, there have been repeated reports about Monta Ellis being on his way out of the Golden State Warriors. However the General Manager of the franchise has now come out to say that there are more
chances of Ellis staying than leaving.
Earlier it was reported that the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers were considering swapping Monta Ellis and Andre Iguodala. Iguodala is a super athletic wingman and a defensive specialist. A draft night trade of
Monta Ellis seemed to be on the cards but Warriors GM Larry Riley said it was an unlikely scenario,
“It’s very likely that he will not be traded on draft night or even through the summer.”
Monta Ellis stands 6-foot-3 and has been the Golden State Warriors standout scorer for the last two seasons. Ellis averaged a very impressive 24.1 points and 5.6 assists per game last season, but the Warriors still flattered to
deceive.
Despite his prowess as a scorer and a ball handler Monta Ellis is adjudged to be a weak link on defence. The Warriors struggles with him also seem to have put some teams off the idea of trading for Monta Ellis.
Riley stated that the market was pretty cold for Monta Ellis, suggesting that even if the Warriors wanted to move him on they would be hard pressed to find a suitable offer,
“Nobody is saying,’What will it take to get Monta Ellis?’” said Riley.
From the outside it seems that the Golden State Warriors are trying to shop their talented guard but cannot find a reasonable trade. The player is one of the highest earners at the club and will make around $11 million a year until
his contract expires in 2014. Getting rid of that contract was also one of the factors behind the Golden State Warriors wish to trade out the guard. The Warriors would then have had more room in their salary cap, an especially important factor considering
the new CBA is on the horizon, and could improve the team in the free agency.
With the market going cold on Monta Ellis it seems that the Golden State Warriors might be tempted to trade sophomore guard Stephen Curry. The 6-3 guard impressed in only his second year in the league as he took over major responsibility
in the team.
Stephen Curry averaged over 18 points in the 2010-2011 season. The player also had 1.5 steals and 5.8 assists per game to his name. The young player would certainly attract more interest than Monta Ellis.
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