Monta Ellis spent 3 seasons next to Curry in Golden State before the Warriors shipped him to Milwaukee in 2012 for Andrew Bogut, a trade that looks better every year the Curry era rolls on. So it raised eyebrows when Ellis, now reflecting on his career while discussing his new gig as GM at Alcorn State, told ESPN's Myron Medcalf: "If you switched me and Steph out with the team that won the championships, it'd be the same thing."
Barstool Sports didn't bury the lede on this one, flagging it as "Next Level Delusion" straight out of the gate. It's not hard to see why: Curry led the Warriors to 4 titles across 6 Finals trips, while Golden State made the playoffs just once total during Ellis's 3-plus seasons on the roster. Swapping the two isn't a lateral move in Barstool's eyes, it's swapping a top-5-of-all-time shooter for a combo guard who never got his team out of the first round.
Eric Hubbs saw a pattern forming before Ellis even opened his mouth. A week earlier it was Dame Lillard-adjacent takes making the rounds, and Hubbs figures this is only escalating from here.
Monta Ellis last week, Dame Lillard today, we're a few days away from people saying Payton Pritchard could swap with Steph Curry and still win the same amount of rings.
Hubbs followed up separately, admitting he genuinely thought the Curry disrespect had an expiration date somewhere around the 2022 championship run, Golden State's 4th under Curry. Instead it just keeps finding new angles, and a former teammate publicly arguing he was interchangeable with Curry is about as pointed as it gets.
I thought the Curry slander was gonna stop after 2022 but people have found a way. https://t.co/gJPK8jixd7
None of this changes what actually happened on the floor. The Warriors traded Ellis specifically to clear the backcourt for Curry, watched that decision turn into a dynasty, and have had 14 years of results to point to since. Ellis is entitled to believe he'd have gotten there too, but until he shows the receipts, Barstool's comment section is going to keep treating this like the reach it looks like.