Monta Ellis is drawing plenty of interest from contending teams early in free agency, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who reports that the Knicks are among the clubs to express interest in the veteran guard. The Bulls, Spurs, Nuggets and Suns have also inquired on Ellis, says Berger.
Many of those teams would seem to be long shots for Ellis. The Knicks, for instance, likely won't be able to acquire players via sign-and-trade since they're over the tax line, so they'll only have the mini mid-level exception ($3.18MM) available. Considering he just turned down an option worth $11MM, Ellis seems unlikely to sign with a team that can't even offer him that amount over three years.
Still, Ellis and agent Jeff Fried are "known to be willing to compromise in order to sign with a contending team," according to Berger, so it's probably too early to rule out any suitors, as unlikely as they may appear.