Free agent guard Monta Ellis has signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard. Marc Stein reports the last year will be a player option.
Ellis declined his $8.3 million player option to enter free agency. Although his two seasons in Dallas were good, he struggled to adjust to a backcourt with Rajon Rondo in 2015 and had trouble with the coaching staff and media. Before Ellis opted out, it was reported that the Mavericks were ready to move on from the mercurial shooting guard.
Despite the poor end to last season, Ellis was generally good for the Mavericks. He's always been a poor defensive player, something that never improved in Dallas, but he averaged 19 points in his two Dallas years, looking a lot more like the explosive scorer who suited up in a Golden State uniform for seven seasons and averaged nearly 20 points a game.
Two disastrous seasons in Milwaukee forced Ellis to sign a much lower deal than anticipated in Dallas, but to some extent, he redeemed in value and showed he can be one of the league's best drivers and playmakers in the right situation. However, he's still a small combo guard who turns 30 in October, which would make any team nervous.
In Indiana, Ellis will provide some much-needed depth in the backcourt. The Pacers were thin at the guard spots last season -- especially shooting guard -- and had even less depth when free agency opened and Rodney Stuckey hit the market. Stuckey played a significant role for the Pacers last season and finished as the team's third-leading scorer. Ellis should fill his shoes and then some, taking over the starting spot at shooting guard and allowing C.J. Miles to shift into a sixth man role. With Ellis, the Pacers have another player who can create his own shot and Miles should provide nice scoring punch off the bench.
Although Ellis will give the Pacers a scoring threat and another playmaker, he isn't likely to improve their offensive efficiency. Ellis has always been able to put up solid scoring averages, but has never ranked among the most efficient players in the league. Indiana tied for 23rd in offensive efficiency last year and their effective field goal percentage of 48.4 percent was actually higher than the 47.5 percent Ellis put up last season.