Despite Being Banished From Stephen Curry’s Warriors Dynasty, Ex-NBA Star Delivers Emotional Note to One GSW Legend

Ever since the Golden State Warriors drafted Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, a lot of changes were made to turn them into a championship team. While a few trades added so much value, sometimes getting rid of a veteran has a bitter side too. One such change in the team was the trade for Andrew Bogut, which sent star guard Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Despite defining it as a “heartbreaking” exit back back in 2020, Ellis decided to stay humble on his return to the Chase Center, in front of his former GM Chris Mullin. It’s pretty evident there was a mix of emotions for the 38-year-old, yet he put his gratitude to the organization out on display. 

Monta Ellis makes a return after a “heartbreaking” exit 

Ellis was drafted as the 40th pick by the Warriors back in 2005. According to Mullin, Ellis was a solid package because of his speed and his defensive anticipation. In just his second year with the organization, he became a starter and for the next five seasons, he was considered a crucial piece. 

Anyhow, the Warriors were not getting anywhere. Thompson and Curry had just arrived in 2012, but the Warriors did not want to experiment with a young core and Ellis. Rather, they were on a hunt for a big man. In 2012, the Warriors traded Ellis for Bogut, after which the former did not shine much. 

Getting traded after playing for 7 years with a franchise is indeed unbearable. However, that was not the worst part for Ellis. It was the way he was betrayed. But he decided to ignore all of the “heartbreaking” times, to show his love for the team. 

In an interview with Chris Mullin before the Warriors game today, he shared, “Well, I thank you[Mullin]…for taking a chance on me, giving me an opportunity and also you encouraged me to be the guy that I was… I was able to grow, make mistakes and I owe that to you guys.”

But then after the trade, Ellis was feeling something different.

A look into how Ellis got ‘betrayed’ by the Warriors 

According to Ellis, the Warriors had promised that they would not move him before the trade deadline. On a podcast episode in 2020, he shared, “I felt like I was owed the opportunity to know what was happening. The killer part was I had just talked to them before I left the hotel and they told me they weren’t going to trade me.”

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To show how brutal the trade was, he explained a locker room situation with his teammate. Ellis added, “I leave the hotel and get to the arena, I go in and one my teammates…he said, ‘Bro, you’ve been traded’.” Ellis also shared that even his agent was not informed and termed the situation to be “messed up”. 

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Despite this history with the team, Ellis decided to return to the den with a smile on his face. What are your thoughts on the above story? Share your take in the comments below.