Monta Ellis, one of the premier free agents remaining on the market, has whittled his list to four teams and is hoping to choose his destination within the next 36 to 48 hours, a source close to the situation said on Tuesday. Ellis has pared his list to the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Bobcats. Having turned down a contract extension offer from Milwaukee last season that would have paid him $36 million in the next three years, he is hoping to land a deal in that price range. The clubs pursuing him all would have to make personnel moves to get Ellis near that number. Atlanta is looking to replace Jeff Teague with Ellis, and a sign-and-trade deal with Milwaukee is a strong possibility. New Bucks coach Larry Drew, who coached Teague last season in Atlanta, is hoping for a reunion in Milwaukee. One possible holdup to an Ellis-for-Teague swap is the question of what the Bucks would do with restricted free agent Brandon Jennings, who already has received a qualifying offer from the team. Source: ESPN
If Ellis and his agent think they're going to get a deal like Ellis turned down with the Bucks, they're sadly mistaken. The Mavs aren't going to pay him that. Now, if Ellis and his agent want to come down to about half of that, that's another story.
According to Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan and DallasBasketball.com, Ellis is close to signing a three-year deal with the Mavs. Dallas Mavericks NBA Basketball Front Page
