Ranking the best Indiana Pacers free agent signings of the last five years
By Ben Boynton
Monta Ellis
4 years, $44 million
First season: 13.8 ppg, 4.7 apg, 42.7 FG%
Ah, Monta. The shooting guard was never named to an All-Star team but was the league’s Most Improved Player in the 2006-2007 season and averaged at least 20 points per game five times, with the apex coming in a 2009-2010 campaign where he averaged 25.5 points.
Ellis came to Indiana after two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks where he averaged 19 and 18.9 points per game at shooting percentages that mirror his career averages.
With the Pacers, he was expected to help a post-leg injury Paul George carry the offensive load, but he never lived up to expectations.
Ellis averaged 13.8 points per game with 81 starts in his first season before falling out of the starting lineup in year two, averaging 8.5 points per game in 33 starts and 74 games. The Pacers stretched and waived him after that, and he will have him on the books for just shy of $2.25 million through the 2021-2022 season.
The numbers don’t always paint a full picture, but the stats here are pretty indicative of how this one worked out. Ellis is now out of the league, with his time in Indiana representing his final action.
VERDICT: Anytime you’re paying someone to NOT play for your team, it’s bad. This was a huge misfire. Didn’t prove super costly, but arguably the worst free agent in team history considering cost.