Lots of conjecture about where Ellis stands with the team. I think he'd be fine staying, but fine going as well. To be honest I'd like him to stay but I feel that the front office has created a situation where trading Ellis might be the best value for the franchise, only if the right deal was out there of course. 

While his value may generally be perceived as in decline on the market because of the moped incident and all this recent drama, his talent, production, and youth is undeniable. The Warriors made a financial commitment to him for a reason and consequently, by giving him that kind of money (especially when they didn't give it to such an iconic player like BD), the Warriors have set themselves up to be in the current situation where Ellis may feel the authority to try to dictate the draft, or more accurately from Ellis' perspective, just do his thing and be the unequivocal leader of the team. I can't fault him for that, and neither can the front office. As a result, if Ellis is kept, he should be appeased and they should do everything they can to make him happy. It's bad business to pay people a lot of money and then hold their mistakes over them so that they cannot perform well. The Warriors should be trying to get 5 good remaining years out of the contract and if that means drafting Jordan Hill, or even Brandon Jennings (who I think Nelly perceives as a pass first point guard), then I'm ok with that strategy. 

But....rather than settling on Hill or a point guard we don't want as much, why not at least consider shopping Ellis to pick up a legit 4 while clearing room to draft the playmaking point guard we seem to covet?

Suspicion is that the Hawks are shopping Josh Smith, and from spending some time recently in Atlanta, it is general sentiment that Smith will be gone. People hate him in Atlanta and I'm not sure if it's warranted. They looooove Al Horford. Smith also did have lows in blocks and steals this past year, but his lows are still huge (1.3 steals, 1.6 blocks). His recent career averages are about 1.0 more in each category, so ridiculously productive. The Hawks are still shopping him. 

Smith could really get out and run in the Warriors system. Imagine a 3, 4, 5 consisting of Randolph, Smith, and Biedrins. Very strong. Not bruising, but very effective in terms of rebounds and blocks. Perfect Nellyball front line. 

Assuming that our draft strategy would then focus to a playmaking point guard, I'd imagine our board at 7 would look like this: Curry, Flynn. I know Curry didn't work out for Golden State, but Ellis leaving takes away the drama and Curry is a scorer, something we'd need to fill the Ellis void. Flynn would also very nicely fit under this category. Athletically, a Flynn, Randloph, Smith combo would be a devastating match-up for opponents. 

The Hawks, conversely, would be looking to fill Smith's void in the draft with pikc #19. My guess is that they would target James Johnson from Wake Forest. He's be a great complement alongside Al Horford. 

So here are the 9-man rotations when the dust settles:

Dubs - Jonny Flynn, Stephen Jackson, Anthony Randolph, Josh Smith, Andris Biedrins     

Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Morrow

Hawks - Monta Ellis, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, James Johnson, Al Horford

Mike Bibby, Ronald Murray, Zaza Pachulia, Maurice Evans

Is this possible? I say yes, it is possible.