Monta Ellis

Bucks Notes: Ellis, Kohl, Skiles, Cap Room

Scott Skiles told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that he would be returning to Milwaukee next season for the final year of his contract, quieting speculation that the Bucks could seek a new coach. Here are the rest of the latest updates out of Milwaukee:

  • One reason the Warriors were willing to send Monta Ellis to Milwaukee was because he wouldn't give Golden State a "firm commitment" that he wanted to be there long-term, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
  • "Rumors still persist" that Herb Kohl would be open to selling his majority share of the Bucks and becoming a minority owner, according to Woelfel (on Twitter).
  • Bringing back Skiles for 2012/13 makes sense for both the Bucks and the coach, says Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • The Bucks will have room under the cap this summer to make "at least one substantial roster upgrade," Hunt adds within his piece. I think that might depend on whether or not the team re-signs Ersan Ilyasova.

Bucks May Shop Ellis, Jennings, Gooden

The Bucks just made a major trade at the deadline to acquire Monta Ellis, and they may not be done dealing, according to a Western Conference executive who talked to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld.

The unnamed exec characterizes the Bucks as being in a "win now" situation, and if they fall short of expectations (likely by missing the playoffs), GM John Hammond will look to deal Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings or Drew Gooden this summer.

They're the three players with the highest scoring averages on the team this year, and Raskin identifies all of them as tradeable assets. Only Ellis, who makes $11MM a year through 2013/14, earns more than $10MM annually, and he plays shooting guard, where talent is at a premium right now, Raskin notes. Gooden, 30, is the oldest of the bunch but is putting up a career-high 14.5 PPG.

This could be wishful thinking by a front-office type who'd like to see those guys on the market. I think it would be premature to drastically alter the team when they'd have less than two months to show what they can do together. Milwaukee has never been a destination for top free agents, and with young assets on generally favorable contracts, Hammond might be wise to demonstrate a little patience here. 

Warriors Rumors: Ellis, Bogut, Curry

Just as the Magic and Nets played together tonight in the wake of their non-trade, the Bucks and Warriors got together in Oakland tonight a few days after their deal. Here's the latest from Golden State:

  • Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports looks at how the trade may pay off for the Warriors.
  • Warriors owner Joe Lacob expressed great regard for Monta Ellis, saying that it was "incredibly difficult" to trade him, but that he would have dealt either Ellis or Stephen Curry to move the franchise forward, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ellis received plenty of love from the Golden State crowd, too, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
  • Curry's balky ankle will keep him out either a month or for the rest of the season, judging Lacob's comments to Simmons about the matter. “We’re going to continue to look at all of the doctors’ reports and get as much information as we can, but no one can really say for sure why this keeps occurring," Lacob said. "We need to know, though. We’ll get another opinion if we have to. If it requires shutting him down, then we’ll do it. If it doesn’t, he’ll be back playing in a month. It’s very important that he’s healthy, and we’re not going to risk further injury.”
  • Andrew Bogut was ready to leave Milwaukee, telling Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that he and the Bucks experienced a mutual divorce. (Twitter link) 

Failed Deals: Nets, Bucks, Kaman, Pistons

Shortly after yesterday's trade deadline, we rounded up a few near-deals that didn't quite get done. Reports continue to trickle out about offers that were turned down and trades that were close, so let's cover a few more:

  • Appearing on KNBR in San Francisco, Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the Nets offered Brook Lopez to the Bucks for Monta Ellis shortly after Milwaukee acquired Ellis from Golden State (hat tip to RealGM.com). Unsuprisingly, the Bucks turned it down, according to Bucher.
  • Bucher added that the Warriors could have acquired Chris Kaman from the Hornets in exchange for Brandon Rush, Kwame Brown's expiring contract, and a second-round pick, but chose to land Bogut instead (link via RealGM).
  • The Pistons were also in on Kaman, offering the Hornets one of their big contracts along with a future first-round pick, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Ben Gordon is the only Piston whose contract would've worked in a one-for-one deal.
  • After turning down that offer, the Hornets countered with Carl Landry for Jason Maxiell and an unprotected 2012 first-rounder, says Goodwill. The Pistons rejected that one.

Odds & Ends: Beasley, Bucks, Spurs, Nash

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:

Recap Of Trade Deadline Deals

Here's the complete list of trades that took place this week leading up to the trade deadline earlier today:

Amico On Mbah a Moute, Sessions, Jamison, Ellis

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio chatted with fans about trade topics this afternoon. Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Plenty of teams "love" Luc Mbah a Moute and are calling the Bucks about him.
  • The Cavaliers continue to be aggressive in their pursuit of draft picks, and Amico expects them to land a first-rounder, possibly for Ramon Sessions.
  • Antawn Jamison isn't drawing a ton of interest, and still appears likely to remain in Cleveland.
  • Addressing the rumored three-team deal involving the Cavs, Lakers, and Rockets, Amico says he heard one of the three teams told the other two, "Let me get back to you on that" and talks haven't progressed since then.
  • Amico thinks it would make more sense for the Hornets to amnesty Emeka Okafor than to trade him to the Cavs with a first-round pick, as was rumored. I can see the league-owned Hornets preferring to avoid the amnesty clause as long as the ownership situation is in flux though.
  • The Lakers, Hornets, Hawks, and perhaps the Bobcats are among the teams with whom the Cavs have had "long discussions."
  • The Bucks have "absolutely zero interest" in flipping Monta Ellis to another team.

Reactions To The Bogut/Ellis Trade

The Warriors and Bucks finalized the first major trade of 2012 last night, with Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown heading to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. The deal is an interesting one, particularly since Bogut's fractured ankle could sideline him for the rest of this season.

My thoughts: the move is a risky one for both sides. Bogut has suffered multiple major injuries in his career, and hasn't played more than 69 games in any of the last four seasons — his health has to be considered a question mark going forward. For the Bucks, pairing Ellis with Brandon Jennings may not be ideal, since both players are at their best when they're controlling the ball. Considering the Bucks were also able to acquire a youngster with upside in Udoh and swap Jackson's hefty 2012/13 salary for Brown's expiring deal, I prefer Milwaukee's side. But if the Warriors slide down this year's standings (keeping their top-seven-protected draft pick), then get a healthy, productive Bogut back next season, the deal will end up looking pretty good for Golden State.

Here are a few more reactions and opinions on the trade:

  • The upside is higher for the Warriors than the Bucks in the deal, though Milwaukee obviously benefits more in the short term, writes Zach Lowe of SI.com.
  • Christopher Reina of RealGM doesn't love the trade for either side, giving the Warriors a C grade and the Bucks a C+.
  • In a piece for The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks says the trade doesn't make sense, concluding that two teams that were going nowhere before are still going nowhere.
  • The Jazz and Knicks are the big losers of the deal, according to John Hollinger of ESPN.com (Insider link). The Jazz will own the Warriors 2012 first-rounder if it's not a top-seven pick, while the Knicks are currently tied with the Bucks for eighth in the East. Hollinger likes the deal a lot for the Bucks, particularly because of the cap ramifications.
  • In a statement, Warriors GM Larry Riley said the team was "extremely excited" to acquire Bogut, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
  • Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains the Warriors' motivations for the deal, and why it should work (in theory).

Amick’s Latest: Jennings, Evans, Knicks, Jackson

Sam Amick of SI.com explores a few trade deadline topics in his latest column. Here are the highlights:

  • The Bucks have taken Brandon Jennings off the trade block, as we heard yesterday, telling Jennings' camp that he remains part of the team's future plans. Before Milwaukee made Jennings unavailable, the Hornets were interested in acquiring the young point guard to pair him with Eric Gordon.
  • Before they dealt Monta Ellis to Milwaukee, the Warriors made multiple inquiries on Tyreke Evans. Golden State was prepared to discuss a deal that would've sent Ellis to the Kings, says Amick.
  • Following up on reports of turmoil in New York, Amick hears divided opinions from sources close to the situation — some feel a coaching change is necessary for the Knicks, while others feel the onus is on Carmelo Anthony to adjust to Mike D'Antoni's system. Sources close to Jerry Sloan tell Amick that the former Jazz coach may be interested in coaching the Knicks if the position opens up.
  • Traded players have 48 hours to report to their new teams and pass physicals, which means the Warriors may not have much of a window if they hope to flip Stephen Jackson to another team before the deadline.
  • Amick also had a Dwight Howard update, which we covered here.

Warriors, Bucks Swap Ellis, Bogut In 5-Player Deal

The Warriors and Bucks have completed a deal to send Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for Monta EllisEkpe Udoh and Kwame Brown. Both teams confirmed the move today via press release.

After this season, Ellis is owed $11MM annually over the next two seasons, with an opt-out for the second year. Udoh is still in the midst of his rookie contract that will be guaranteed until he is eligible for a team option after the 2012/13 season. Brown and his $6.7MM salary falls into the deal as an expiring contract. Bogut is still owed a total of $27MM through the end of the 2013-14 season, and Jackson has one year remaining after this season that will pay him approximately $10MM. Each side of the deal totals about $21MM in 2011/12 cap figures, so neither club is adding or reducing salary for this season.

For the Warriors, dealing Ellis gives head coach Mark Jackson the opportunity to start rookie Klay Thompson at shooting guard and him more significant minutes to develop. The deal also hinges on the health of Andrew Bogut. If he can fully recover from a broken ankle suffered earlier in the season, Bogut becomes the mainstay at center for Golden State after Jackson experimented with Andris Biedrins and Udoh in the starting lineup.

Stephen Jackson returns to the team in which he had a tumultuous exit in 2009, but with reports of unhappiness in Milwaukee due to an irreparable relationship with coach Scott Skiles, he finds himself out of that situation. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, sources say that the Warriors do not plan to buy out Jackson's contract (Twitter link).

The deal almost certainly takes the Warriors out of the running for both Dwight Howard and this year's playoffs. However, the short-term downgrade to the roster improves Golden State's chances of keeping its 2012 first-round pick, which will head to the Jazz unless it lands in the top seven.

Milwaukee receives a dynamic and explosive combo guard in Ellis, who had been averaging 21.9 PPG, 6 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 36.9 MPG. It will be interesting to see how Skiles handles the shots between Ellis and Brandon Jennings, as the Bucks traded two players that are not currently in the rotation for Ellis' 19 FGA (Jennings currently averages 17 FGA). Udoh, formerly picked by the Warriors with the 6th overall selection in 2010, is an intriguing prospect for the Bucks moving forward. Most importantly, it may help cover up the potential loss of forward Ersan Ilyasova to free agency, who recently said that he may leave the Bucks in the offseason for whoever offers the most money. It is questionable if Brown fits in Milwaukee's long term plans, as he is due to be out for the rest of the year while recovering from a chest injury and is slated to become a free agent this summer. 

The trade was first reported by Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and then tweeted by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.