They do need another 3-and-D option
De’Anthony Melton is expected to opt out of his $3.5 million player option for next season and enter unrestricted free agency, but the Golden State Warriors might already have a clear replacement waiting for them in free agency.
After two straight DNPs during their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, it’s becoming clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers may not see a future with soon-to-be free agent Keon Ellis.
Having seen his minutes dwindle through the first four games of the series, Ellis saw a DNP at home in Game 5 as the Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead. Former Warrior assistant and now Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson repeated the dose in Game 6 on Friday, leaving Ellis stapled to the bench as Toronto forced a Game 7 with a thrilling 112-110 victory on the back of RJ Barrett’s game-winner.
It now seems incredibly unlikely that Ellis will play at all in Game 7, and his role is likely to remain limited even if the Cavaliers can advance to what would be a second-round series against the Detroit Pistons or Orlando Magic, who are also going to a decider.
With Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Max Strus, Dennis Schröder, and Sam Merrill as guard/wing options, perhaps this is just a depth issue and not so much about Ellis as a player. Yet whatever the reason, the rotation axing isn’t doing much to help the 26-year-old’s value ahead of free agency.
The Warriors could capitalize on that by signing Ellis to a smaller contract than may have been envisioned prior to the playoffs — particularly if Melton prices himself out of a range they’re incapable or unwilling to match.
Ellis did play a significant role for the Cavaliers in 29 games after the mid-season trade from the Sacramento Kings, averaging nearly 25 minutes where he posted 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 49.1% shooting from the floor and 35.5% from 3-point range.
With Melton’s potential departure and Moses Moody expected to miss most of next season due to his torn patellar tendon injury, Golden State will need to target 3-and-D perimeter players whether via trade or in free agency.
Ellis has shown flashes of being a high-level 3-and-D player throughout his career with the Kings and now with the Cavaliers, having shot 40.7% from beyond the arc in his five seasons while averaging 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks in less than 20 minutes per game.
The Warriors could have tried to acquire Ellis in a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade last offseason, but this time around they could nab the 6’4″ wing as a viable Melton replacement in free agency.
In the cold calculus of NBA roster-building, Cleveland’s decision to bench Ellis may have just handed Golden State exactly what they need — a ready-made, cost-controlled 3-and-D dog who can slide seamlessly into the rotation. The Cavaliers, locked in their own playoff fight, appear not to have noticed they’ve already lost him. For the Dubs, it’s a quiet steal that could pay dividends long after this series is decided.