Monta Ellis Trade To Sixers For Andre Iguodala Rumored

The Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors are discussing a trade of Monta Ellis for Andre Iguodala, reports Ric Bucher of ESPN. Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms the talks, and said that while no deal is imminent, the trade could happen before the June 23 NBA Draft so that each team can plot its pick accordingly.

Ellis, a dynamic scoring guard who paired up with Stephen Curry for the Warriors over the past two seasons, has been considered a likely trade option for Golden State, who recently retained Jerry West as a consultant and on Monday hired Mark Jackson as its new coach. Iguodala has been on the trade rumor circuit for years owing to his lack of marquee power and seemingly less than full commitment to Philadelphia. (Whether the second knock is fair is shaky.)

Iguodala is owed $44 million over the next three seasons. Ellis is due $33 million over the same span. Philadelphia has a lead guard in young Jrue Holiday, so Ellis would be expected to slot as a shooting guard, potentially with small forward Thaddeus Young -- a reserve in 2010-11 and a restricted free agent -- or Evan Turner taking over small forward.