Monta Ellis (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Houston Rockets could consider trading for Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis, but may have to give up Trevor Ariza in any potential deal.
With Jeff Teague's arrival in Indiana and Rodney Stuckey's increasing role, it is not surprising to see Ellis as the odd man out. He simply did not gel well with the Pacers' system, posting the lowest scoring average of his career since his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Pacers have attempted to shop Ellis earlier this week, but found "little interest" from teams.
Was told they shopped Monta Ellis but found little interest... https://t.co/LwClAdGdqQ
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 18, 2016
However, the Rockets could suit up as a potential trade destination for the 30-year-old shooting guard, despite already loaded with scorers.
The Rockets have lost key players in free agency led by Dwight Howard, who went home to play for the Atlanta Hawks. Essentially, the Rockets should have looked for a defensive big man to fill the void Howard left, but Houston instead signed Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon as added fire power in the team's offense.
Bringing Ellis could also raise concerns over a jam-packed lineup of scorers, but he could be a perfect fit playing under Mike D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense.
While forming a backcourt tandem of Ellis and James Harden may not be ideal defensively as both players are liabilities on the defensive end, there is no denying their ability to space the floor and score whichever way they want.
Ellis only averaged 13.8 points and 4.7 assists a game for the Pacers, but his 42.7 percent shooting from the field would be a valuable addition to a Rockets team that only managed to make 38.6 percent of their shots last season.
On the other hand, Ariza would give the Pacers a wing who could play as backup to Paul George and provide spark to the team's second unit. Ariza, who averaged 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game for the Rockets last season, should fit as the Pacers' 3-and-D guy, giving the team more scoring options and perimeter defense.
While a straight up swap involving Ellis and Ariza works on ESPN's trade machine, there Rockets could be reluctant to give up Ariza, who has been an essential piece in the team's success over the past few years.
Moreover, Houston's backcourt is already secured with veteran scorers, but it the Rockets deem Ellis would nicely fit in D'Antoni's playbooks, trading Ariza could be worth the gamble.
