NBA Trade Rumors: Coach Stevens Looking to Bring Pacers’ Monta Ellis to Celtics to Assist Isaiah Thomas

By Carlo Monzon
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis with the Warriors. Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison

Monta Ellis has reportedly been on the Indiana Pacers' trading block for some time now and it seems the Boston Celtics are the ones that could take him away. Through a trade, head coach Brad Stevens could pair up Ellis with Isaiah Thomas to boost the team's shooters.

Since the offseason began, the Celtics have been busy in rebuilding its roster to ensure that the team will be a title contender once the 2016-2017 NBA season begins. One way the team did this was by acquiring center Al Horford from the Atlanta Hawks.

Although the presence of the big man can significantly improve the team's capabilities on the court, Stevens had previously stressed that the main priority of Boston is to get as many shooters as possible, according to ESPN.

Just by looking at the Celtics' current lineup, one could easily see that they have a deep bench for shooting guards. However, the only standout is Thomas, who averaged 22.2 points per game last season.

Even with a good defensive lineup, the Boston organization will certainly not be able to reach next year's finals by just relying on Thomas. This is why it would be extremely beneficial for the Celtics to get Ellis from the Pacers.

Last season, Ellis averaged 13.8 points per game and has a three-point shooting percentage of .309. Although these figures are still far from Thomas' stats, having another effective guard who can take advantage of the back court will certainly go a long way.

However, if the Celtics really want to secure Ellis, they should probably start thinking of who they could send to the Pacers in return. These guys, of course, should be quality players also since Indiana is expecting to get something good through the trade. After all, it has been reported that the Pacers are keen on getting Rudy Gay from the Sacramento Kings, Sportsrageous reported.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, it seems the Kings are not interested in conducting the trade deal. Also, according to NBA insider Steve Kyler, even though the Pacers are reportedly actively shopping around Ellis, they haven't spoken to a team that has expressed genuine interest in signing him.

Perhaps this could be a chance for the Celtics to get the shooter by presenting a quality shooter.

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