There isn’t much of a race to sign Monta Ellis, but if it’s going to be someone, it’ll either be the Atlanta Hawks or the Indiana Pacers. The Dallas Mavericks? Both sides don’t want to see each other anymore.

The Hawks, despite what seems to be an ill-fitted marriage in terms of style, are strong in the hunt for Ellis. Maybe it’s because they feel they need something and someone different in their offense which sort of flatlined in the playoffs and especially in the conference finals as it got swept away by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There’s also the matter of scoring they have to worry about. Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll have both been a bit out of the headlines these last few days, with the names of LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan stealing all the headlines, but losing both of them or even one of them is a tough hit for a team that overachieved last season and isn’t known to being great in attracting free agents.

The Pacers have been making a very strong push over the last 24 hours to sign Ellis. Ellis and his family are travelling to Indiana to try and close the deal.

The Pacers missed a lot of things last season. One of them was consistent scoring from their backcourt. Paul George is back, but the Pacers need more in order to return to the status they were in before his injury and the departure of Lance Stephenson. Ellis might not fit their previous style, but times are a’changing, and his selfish scoring ways might be a change for the better on the evolving Pacers team.