Pacers officially sign Monta Ellis, Joe Young, Jordan Hill
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The Indiana Pacers officially announced the signings of guard Monta Ellis, second-round draft pick Joe Young, and center Jordan Hill on Tuesday.
Terms of the deals were not released, per team policy, but Ellis will reportedly earn $44 million over the next four seasons, with a player option in year four.
"He’ll be a great addition to our team," said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. "And he fits our needs for how we want to play. We’re excited to have him. He adds another veteran in our lineup and we think he'll be a great fit, complementing George Hill in the backcourt."
Signing Ellis gives the Pacers another dynamic creator. Last season, the Pacers played a slow, plodding game centered around their bigs, but David West and Roy Hibbert are both gone, and Indiana is looking to join the sweeping small-ball revolution. Ellis gives them a starting-caliber wing who can slash and run pick-and-roll.
Ellis spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged a combined 19 points, three rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 steals in 35.3 minutes per game. He's a high-usage guard with a strong track record of staying healthy.
Bird suggested that Ellis would start in the backcourt alongside Hill. Those two, along with Paul George in a forward position, should give the Pacers three above-average ball handlers in the starting unit. With most of their bigs leaving in free agency, it seems all but assured that the majority of Indiana's offense will be generated from the perimeter.
In addition to Ellis, the Pacers also signed Young, another guard and this year's 43rd overall pick. He will reportedly earn more than $4 million over the next four seasons.
Finally, the Pacers added Hill as a stopgap at center. Hill isn't much of a defender and is prone to bouts of laziness, but he's a good pick-and-roll target and can wreck havoc on the offensive glass. He reportedly signed a 1-year, $5-million deal.
The Pacers finished with a record of 38-44 and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with the Brooklyn Nets. With a clean bill of health for George and Ellis added to the mix, they should be a much deadlier squad next season.