Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis could end up playing with upcoming free agent Dwight Howard after reportedly opting out of the last year of his contract with the Bucks. Ellis, a friend of Howard's, could sway the center away from Los Angeles if the team is unable to sign both players.
Ellis informed the Bucks he will opt out of the final year of his deal, ESPN's Chris Broussard reported on Monday. He leaves $11 million behind in Milwaukee, which fuels speculation he may try to join Howard on a team this summer. The two are close friends and have longed to play together, according to ESPN.
"Ellis' goal in signing his original deal was to give him the flexibility to become a free agent in his prime," Broussard wrote.
Although Howard's preference is to play with Los Angeles Clippers' soon-to-be free agent Chris Paul, few teams have the cap room to sign both of them. Teaming with Ellis, however, is a more probable. The Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers all are rumored to have interest in Ellis.
Atlanta has the best salary cap situation to sign Howard and another star. Dallas would need to get creative with their roster to create enough cap room to sign both Ellis and Howard. It's uncertain if the Lakers could sign both Howard and Ellis — the team is already millions over the salary cap and likely face violating the luxury tax for a third straight season.
While the Lakers are confident Howard will re-sign with them, it's unknown how important playing with a friend, such as Paul or Ellis, is to the 27-year-old.
If Howard is unable to play with Paul, which at this point seems unlikely to happen, then Ellis is his next best bet.
Ellis averaged 19.2 points and six assists last season with the Bucks. He was a second-round pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, who signed him to a six-year deal worth $66 million. They ultimately traded him to Milwaukee in March 2012 as part of a deal for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The speedy scorer reportedly turned down a two-year, $24 million extension from Milwaukee to become a free agent this summer.
