The Cleveland Cavaliers added Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings at February’s trade deadline. After his rental stint with the Cavs, the 26-year-old will hit free agency this offseason.
Keon Ellis was added by the Cavaliers for guard depth in their pursuit of a deep playoff run. Cleveland did just that, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, but Ellis fell out of the rotation.
The NBA’s second apron will be in the back of the Cavaliers’ minds. While considering this, the Cavaliers may have to decide whether to retain either Keon Ellis or Dean Wade, says NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“Sources say that team officials already concede behind the scenes that it will be extremely difficult to keep both players,” Fischer wrote. “My early read: The priority is likely going to be bringing back Wade, who started a career-high 38 games this season and has been one of Cleveland’s top point-of-attack defenders as a jumbo-sized swingman.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis seemingly fell out of the franchise’s rotation come playoff time. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Keon Ellis Fell Out of Cavs’ Postseason Rotation
The defensive-minded guard averaged 24.8 minutes in 29 games for Cleveland in the regular season. His defensive specialty led to 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game over the short stint with the Cavaliers.
However, his usage declined tremendously during the postseason.
Ellis seemingly fell out of Kenny Atkinson’s playoff rotation, averaging just 7.4 minutes per game. A combination of Sam Merrill, Dennis Schroder, Dean Wade, and Jaylon Tyson took the backup guard roles.
Kenny Atkinson found this combination of guards worked best for the Cavaliers. This helped lead Cleveland to a series win over the Toronto Raptors in the first round and an upset win over the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons in the second round.
After a rental year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Keon Ellis is set to take on free agency this summer. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Keon Ellis Set to Take on Free Agency
After a small sample of time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Keon Ellis is set to take on free agency for the first time in his career.
Over the last three years, Ellis was playing on a franchise-friendly three-year, $5.1 million contract. Now, he’s expected to get a raise.
The real question is how large a raise that will be.
“Ellis’ market, meanwhile, has seemingly taken a bit of a hit since February, when league sources say half the league was expressing interest in acquiring him from Sacramento via trade,” Jake Fischer wrote. “It remains to be seen how Ellis fares in free agency now after largely falling out of Kenny Atkinson’s playoff rotation.”
There was a flurry of teams interested in Keon Ellis at February’s trade deadline. The Cavaliers ultimately won the sweepstakes for the 3-and-D guard.
The number of teams interested in Ellis rose to as many as 10, said Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The three-team deal resulted in the Cavaliers acquiring Ellis, along with Dennis Schroder and Emanuel Miller, from the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland sent De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings and draft considerations to the Chicago Bulls.
It’s uncertain where Keon Ellis will end up this summer. However, the high-upside defense of the 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard may be something that franchises look into this offseason.
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