Miami
At the end of this past season, Ellington wasted no time when the free-agency period commenced. He agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract with the Heat. The second year of the contract is a team option. His reaction on Instagram: “I’m super excited to be a part of a first class organisation! Lets get to work and make it a great season!!!”
Considering the path he had traveled in first seven seasons, no one can blame him for his elation at signing with the Heat.
Will he fit in?
The question now is: how is he going to fit with a new-look Heat? With the departure of Dwyane Wade, naturally opportunities have arisen. The Heat further added to their backcourt depth by signing free-agent guard Dion Waiters. Adding these two to the returning Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson means there will be no shortage of backcourt depth.
Whilst Dragic will be the starting point guard, the remainder of the rotation remains a question. One area of Ellington’s game that has never really been fully utilized is his ball handling.
Upon entering college, his brief scouting report on TheRivals150, stated, “he has the talent to morph into a pro point guard”. He is still just 28 years of age. And whilst Richardson showed great progress as a rookie, and Johnson clearly has plenty of upside, they’re not point guards. Neither is Ellington. But it would be interesting to see how he could handle small samples at the point.
If given the chance, playing alongside Dragic should be terrific for Ellington. Dragic has many similarities to his college teammate, Ty Lawson. Quick, penetrating, aggressive and can set-up teammates efficiently.
With a team including Hassan Whiteside in the middle and potentially, Chris Bosh, its seems like a good fit for his skill set.
His teammates, however, are just one part of the attraction. It’s also the environment. The Heat have established an identity and culture that is the envy of most of the league. To this point in his career, Ellington has confronted one bad situation after another. This will hopefully be a dose of fresh air.
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Overdue luck
Ellington is definitely due for some good fortune. And if you believe in omens, Miami could be his ideal landing spot. His highest scoring game in college came against the University of Miami. Also, he has twice in his NBA career hit seven three-point field goals in a game. Both against, yes, the Miami Heat.
Ellington is known as a strong locker room presence and a good teammate. From an on-court perspective, a player of his clear professionalism and character deserves a first-class environment. And the Miami Heat are the embodiment of such traits.