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Sometimes an under-the-radar move is the best move.
The Indiana Pacers have agreed to a four-year, $44-million deal with free-agent shooting guard Monta Ellis, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. The fourth year is a player option, all the rage in free agency this year.
This seems like a mutually beneficial deal, as Ellis is a nice fit in Indiana and can now re-enter the market for one last long-term deal at age 32 or 33. In the right team context, surrounded by shooters, Ellis's ability to carve into the teeth of a defense and score inside the arc is valuable, and few players can fill it up like the 6-foot-3 off-guard can.
The Pacers can offer that, flanking Ellis with strong shooters and defenders in George Hill and Paul George. Ellis, who averaged 18.9 points and 4.1 assists last season and is seventh in total scoring since 2006-07, should be able to leverage his versatile offensive talents in a system that will discourage his bad habits and cover up for his defensive deficiencies.
Short on offense and set on defense, it's a smart move for the Pacers, who also appear to have paid slightly below market value.
Ellis turned down a four-year, $48-million offer from the Sacramento Kings to choose Indiana, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard. The Kings had been clearing their cap deck to try to land Ellis, Rajon Rondo, Wesley Matthews, or some combination of the three, and losing out on Ellis is a bad sign for their potential to fulfill that goal.
Sign-and-trade with Mavericks a possibility
The signing of Ellis may also be a means of unloading center Roy Hibbert, as the Dallas Mavericks are believed to be considering the Pacers center if they strike out in their pursuit of unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan.
Should the Mavericks go that route, a sign-and-trade of Ellis for Hibbert will be discussed, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The Pacers have been clear publicly that they'd like to play a more up-tempo style this season, and head coach Frank Vogel has said Hibbert's role could diminish as a result.
Hibbert has been considered firmly on the trading block since he exercised his $15.5-million player option for 2015-16, and the Mavericks could kick the tires if they whiff on other centers. Hibbert's contract wouldn't be too onerous for Dallas, which has plenty of cap space and few desirable options to use it on.
With only one year on his deal, the Mavericks could land Hibbert for next to nothing in a sign-and-trade - Ellis is leaving regardless - giving them a defensive-minded center for this season and effectively rolling their cap space over to 2016.
It wouldn't be the flashiest addition - Hibbert averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor, woeful for a big man - but he'd improve the team's defense, particularly at the rim.
