Mavericks expect to lose Rondo, Ellis in the backcourt

It’s rare that a team finds itself saddled with the prospect of entering the off-season in search of a new starting backcourt.

But that’s the position the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in when free agency starts on Wednesday.

Gone are point guard Rajon Rondo and shooting guard Monta Ellis — both set to hit free agency in search of a large payday.

Danny Green, Wesley Matthews and Jeremy Lin are among the free agent shooting guards on the Mavericks’ radar. Goran Dragic, Brandon Knight, Patrick Beverley and Reggie Jackson are among the top free agent point guards available.

As for Rondo and Ellis, both left behind interesting legacies in Dallas.

On Dec. 18, the Mavericks traded promising youngsters Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder — along with Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first-round pick and 2016 second-round pick — to the Boston Celtics for Dwight Powell and Rondo.

Just two months later during a home game against Toronto, while walking to the bench during a hastily called timeout by coach Rick Carlisle, Rondo cursed at Carlisle in front of the American Airlines Center sellout crowd.

And Carlisle, upset Rondo didn’t run a play he had just called, angrily cursed him back.

The heated confrontation reportedly continued in the locker room after the game.

And that was just one episode that led to Rondo’s eventual departure from Dallas.

Ten minutes into Game 2 of the Mavericks’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Rondo made so many mental errors that Carlisle pulled him. It was the last time Rondo played for the Mavericks.

Meanwhile, Ellis opted out of the final year of his contract that would have paid him $9.08 million next season.

Multiple sources said Ellis is upset that he’s not making as much as Chandler Parsons, who signed a three-year, $46 million contract with the Mavericks last summer.

Ellis was the Mavericks’ primary go-to guy and led them in scoring (18.9) and steals (1.9) this past season. He carried a heavy offensive load for owner Mark Cuban’s team and missed only two of a possible 164 games during his two-year tenure with the Mavericks.

“Monta’s been phenomenal for us,” forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “He developed to being our closer; he was a warrior for us.

“I don’t remember him missing a game, so he was very reliable for us and that’s hard to find in this league. We’ll just have to see what’s out there.”

Although Ellis reportedly was moody, the Mavericks counted on him at the offensive end of the court. It was no surprise that Ellis opted out of his contract in hopes of landing a deal financially closer to Parsons’ neighborhood.

“I thought as far as the year that he had and his chance to get a longer term deal at [age] 29 or 30, [opting out] is probably the smart thing for him to do,” combo guard Devin Harris said of Ellis. “So it wasn’t really surprising.

“It creates a pretty thick hole. It gives us more cap space, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad, depending on how we do in free agency.”

Among the options available in free agency beginning Wednesday are San Antonio Spurs long-range threat Danny Green, Chicago Bulls standout Jimmy Butler, aging Miami star Dwyane Wade and his Heat teammate Goran Dragic, a midseason trade acquisition. It’s likely that those players will have strong pushes made by their current teams to retain them.

If the Mavericks fail to find backcourt help in free agency, they can always turn to Harris to start at either of the guard spots. But they would rather bring him off the bench.

“I’m more comfortable with wherever Rick tells me to be comfortable,” Harris said. “If he wants me to come off the bench, I’ll come off the bench.

“If I need to start, I’ll start. It’s never really a problem with us. He’ll communicate with me wherever he needs me and that’s what I’ll do.”

Will the Mavericks be able to find a dynamic scorer such as Ellis, who can take defenders off the dribble and get his shot off at any time?

Can the Mavericks find a versatile point guard such as Jason Kidd, who helped them to the 2011 NBA title and left via free agency to play for the New York Knicks in 2012?

“Now that Monta is gone, we need a driver, we need some shooting and we need some athletes,” Nowitzki said. “We only have like four or five guys under contract as of now, so it can get better.”

Carlisle, though, kept the Ellis door open, saying the 10-year veteran will be welcomed back if he can’t find what he’s searching for in free agency. The big question is what his return would cost.

“If we do lose him, it’ll be a big void to fill,” Harris said of Ellis. “He played some of his best basketball here. I know he really likes it here.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Mavericks expect to lose Rondo, Ellis in the backcourt."