With Dwight Howard and Chris Paul officially signed as the moratorium on contracts is lifted, Monta Ellis is the top free agent left on the market and he has now narrowed down his final choice of teams to the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats.
Ellis would be the biggest grab past the top names in free agency and the Mavericks are hoping that they don't miss out on yet another big name free agent like they did with Howard. Ellis is looking at his tough decision from all angles and after leaving the Milwaukee Bucks he is looking for a solid deal that should keep him paid at around $36 million, which is the extension that he was offered by the team before opting out.
The Bucks acquired Ellis from the Warriors and now he will move on to another team in free agency and one interesting option could be the Kings, who made him and offer already but will need to make moves to get the cap right. All four teams will need to make some sort of move or trade to get the money in order for Ellis, including the Hawks, who have looked into moving Jeff Teague in a deal or in a sign and trade. Larry Drew is now the coach with the team and after working with Teague last season with the Hawks, they could pull that trade off.
Depending on what happens with Brandon Jennings could affect that deal and the Kings have also put themselves in a solid position after signing Carl Landry and they may also try to trade Marcus Thornton to get things done as well. The Kings think they are a good option after coach Mike Malone came from the Warriors and worked with Ellis there. The Mavericks want a top free agent and are also chasing Andrew Bynum and they have already brought in Jose Calderon and if they want to make a move they will need to deal Shawn Marion.
The bobcats have done well already with Al Jefferson and adding Monta Ellis would put them on the map a bit. They are still waiting on what to do with Gerald Henderson and depending on what happens they could try to work a deal to get Ellis in the fold. He is expected to make his choice over the next day or so.
