8p9s Roundtable: The Indiana Pacers Sign Monta Ellis
By Ben Gibson
Was signing Monta Ellis for $44 million a good move?
Tim Donahue: The money is fine — pretty decent in the context of the future cap figures — and Monta brings some things the Pacers could use. It’s a year too long, though, and the fourth year being Monta’s option is less than ideal.
I think Ellis is a superior player to Rodney Stuckey, but if the Pacers could have signed Stuckey and another rotation player with the same money, I would have preferred that strategy.
Jon Washburn: When you consider the size of the contracts that are currently being handed out, I don’t think that $44 million is an overpay. Two years from now, Monta will be making about 12% of the cap, which is pretty unbelievable when you think about it. With that said, I probably would have preferred to spend the $13 million in cap space on two $6.5 million guys instead. I think Ellis is a superior player to Rodney Stuckey, but if the Pacers could have signed Stuckey and another rotation player with the same money, I would have preferred that strategy.
Will Furr: Absolutely. The team will miss David West, his leadership, and his ability to get baskets in the midrange, but from a purely talent based standpoint, Ellis is a better use of $11 million than West is of $12.6 million. It does eat all the available cap room this year, and who knows what Larry Bird and Kevin Pritchard are going to do at the 4 spot, but after this year, $11 million will represent less than 15%-20% of the cap. He will be a useful player on a manageable contract with a talent the Pacers personnel currently didn’t have.
Ryan Barth: Given what was left after 30 players signed on day one of free agency, it feels like a great move. Then you pair it with the Kings apparent offer of $48 million and it quells the recent assumption of the team turning players off because of the way they treated Roy Hibbert this offseason.
Scott Stewart: As far as money goes, it’s not a bad deal by any means. Monta brings more creativity to Indiana on the offensive end, and if he can contribute as a team player, then Indiana won’t rue another money move. The fact that he turned down the Kings offer of $4 million more ($1 million per year) helps to show that talented players aren’t ignoring the Pacers — or their money.
Next: Monta: Starter or 6th Man?