Monta Ellis has been playing pretty well with the Dallas Mavericks but he’s coming up on the final year of his contract and both he and the team have some decisions to make.
via Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
The big wrinkle for the Mavericks is Monta Ellis, as sources close to the situation believe Ellis will opt out of his deal this summer and seek a new multi-year deal based on his current play.
As teams project the salary cap to skyrocket in 2016, Ellis should definitely get more than $8.72 million next season. Plus, he can lock in some long-term security. He’s better off getting a new contract at age 29 this summer than at age 30 next summer.
This situation is a bit trickier for the Mavericks.
Depending what happens with Rajon Rondo (who could leave Dallas) and Tyson Chandler (who wants to stay but also probably wants to get paid), the Mavericks could have major cap space. If those two move on, Dallas could try to transform its roster, possibly using money they allocated for Ellis elsewhere.
If Rondo and Chandler stay, the Mavericks would likely be faced with paying Ellis or losing him and lacking the flexibility to find a suitable replacement.
He is making a smart decision. I guess I would do the same thing.