The Philadelphia 76ers have long been searching for a prolific scorer to replace future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. The Golden State Warriors are in need of a lot of things, but nothing more evident than a lock-down perimeter defender. With both teams struggling to emerge from mediocrity, wouldn’t the rumored trade of Andre Iguodala for Monta Ellis be a win-win for both teams?
With the internet abuzz with rumors that Monta Ellis will soon be a Sixer and Iguodala a Warrior, nearly every site from ESPN to The Hoop Doctors are debating which club would benefit most from the potential trade.
I say it’s Philadelphia. Although Iguodala has long been deserving of an All Star nod, most Philly fans would tell you that he’s not the star player that may envisioned him to be as a former Lottery pick and heir apparent to Iverson. Their’s no denying he’s an exciting player, a terrific man defender, and one of the game’s best highlight reel dunkers, but Iggy is more of a complimentary player than go-to-guy.
Ellis, also known as the “Mississippi Bullet”, is arguably a Top 5 scorer in the league. The man has averaged 19ppg or better in 5 of his 6 seasons, including 24.1 and 25.5ppg in the last two. While many consider Ellis simply a volume scorer by taking 20+ shots per night, he actually shot a higher percentage from both the field(.451%) and the 3 point line(.362%) than Iggy, to go with nearly 4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per night. I’d argue that playing in Philly and averaging those numbers, he’d probably already have made his first trip to the All Star Game.
With former ESPN announcer and NBA great Mark Jackson now taking over the head coaching duties with the Warriors, he surely will favor rebuilding the team around the up-and-coming point man Steph Curry over Ellis. It’s also probably safe to assume that Jackson will want a more balanced team that favors defense and physicality rather than just outscoring an opponent, considering he played on some of the best defensive teams of the 90’s, most namely the Oakley, Ewing, and Mason led New York Knicks.
If the trade were to happen, the Sixers would be getting some salary cap relief since Ellis makes roughly $11 million per season compared to Iguodala’s nearly $13.5 per year. Ellis also is only owed another $33 million total while Iggy is still owed $42 million over the next 3 seasons.
The 6’6 and 210lb Iguodala averaged 14.1ppg, 5.8 reb, 6.3 ast, and 1.5 stl last season. He is a physical specimen and would be paired alongside the 6’3 and 185lb Curry in the Warriors backcourt, with the ever improving 6’9 Dorrell Wright at SF. For Philly, their backcourt gets a little smaller with the 6’3 Ellis then paired with the 6’4 Jrue Holiday, a good defender in his own right, instantly forming one of the league’s more dynamic perimeter duos in the league. The move also opens up a starting spot for last year’s #2 overall pick Evan Turner at either SG or SF, pushing the sharpshooting Jodie Meeks to a more appropriate role off the bench.
Essentially, one team would be trading offense for defense and vice versa. Many fans in Philly probably are willing to drive Iggy to the airport in favor of this deal, after rather unfairly failing to be the next A.I., but they will surely miss his outstanding defensive play once he’s gone. Warrior fans probably are thinking here we go again after seeing a number of their top stars traded away in recent years only to still be stuck in rebuilding mode.
Tell us what you think. Should the Iguodala – Ellis trade be done, and which team benefits the most from the deal?
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
