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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Keon Ellis #23 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on December 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Lakers are Hollywood’s team, of course, and everyone likes a good rags-to-riches story. Kings wing Keon Ellis is, indeed, a good story–the undrafted and overlooked role player from a football school who worked hard and found his niche in the NBA.
Ellis is in his fourth season with Sacramento, who brought him along as a two-way player and eventually to a standard contract. He improved through his first three seasons in the league, culminating in 8.3 points on 43.3% shooting from the 3-point line last season while establishing himself as one of the league’s peskiest defenders.
Now, with the Kings spiraling at 6-22 after making an attempt to build a playoff team, Ellis has been getting notice not so much for his defense or his shooting, but for the crowd of teams waiting to pounce on him in a trade once the Kings begin selling off the pieces of this year’s disaster of a team. Ellis is, oddly enough, among the hottest names on the trade market.
“At least half the league has asked about him,” one NBA GM said. “The Lakers tend to get talked about more, but
Keon Ellis Struggling This Year
Making the Ellis chase even odder is the fact that he has had some minor injuries and has seen his role diminish this season–he is averaging just 5.3 points, shooting 39.5% from the field and 35.6% from the 3-point line. His shooting numbers are a career low, and the 17.3 minutes per game he is getting are down from last year’s 24.4 minutes.
Yet, the Lakers have him near the top of their trade wish-list this winter. As do others. And the Kings are hoping that market translates into one of Ellis’s suitors coughing up a first-round pick.
“It’s not that the guy is a star player out there or he is going to develop into a star or anything like that,” the GM said. “He has not even played that great this season, but he has a couple things going for him that are pushing his market. One, he is plug-and-play. Everybody needs another guy who can knock down shots and defend on the perimeter.
“Two, he is cheap. He makes ($2.3) million. You can take a guy off the end of your bench, put a couple of second-round picks in the deal and come away with a guy who would be in anyone’s rotation right now.”
Lakers, Knicks, Others Among Suitors
Ellis is a free agent after this season, which is often a detriment in a trade. But because his salary is so small and because his Bird rights would come in a deal, a team can trade for him and plan to re-sign him next summer without eating into their cap space. That’s the goal for the Lakers.
For other teams, Ellis represents a chance to upgrade the roster without running afoul of the league’s apron rules. So, despite his downturn on the floor this season, Ellis is still a wanted man, the rare NBA player who can please both the coaches and the accountants.
Beyond the Lakers, teams like the Knicks, Magic, Heat and Trail Blazers have interest in Ellis. Others are, and will be, involved, and that’s where the price of second-round picks could be pushed to a first-rounder.
“It is hard to imagine giving up a first-rounder for him and I don’t think that’s where it will land,” the GM said. “But they’re right to keep asking for it and maybe someone bites at the end.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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