Keon Ellis' Instant Impact on the Wine & Gold

When the Wine & Gold did some major wheeling and dealing at the Trade Deadline – changing the entire tone and tenor of the season with a pair of bold moves – fans were mostly familiar with the reinforcements. 

James Harden is a man who needs no introduction – an 11-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer. Dennis Schröder, who the Cavs have faced in the postseason multiple times, is in his 13^th season and playing for his 12^th team.

But casual Cavs fans might not have known much about the final piece of the Deadline deals – Keon Ellis. 

That unfamiliarity is understandable. Sacramento almost never plays on national television and Cleveland faces the Kings just twice a year. Ellis was undrafted out of Alabama and, as primarily a defensive specialist coming off the bench, doesn’t stuff the fantasy stat sheet. 

But Cavalier fans are quickly learning that while the 26-year-old isn’t a headliner, he’s poised to be a key piece as the squad makes its furious push towards the postseason. 

After playing two seasons of juco to start his college career – earning Suncoast Player of the Year with Florida SouthWestern – Ellis spent his final two years at Alabama, starting all 33 games as a senior, averaging 12.1ppg and earning SEC All-Defensive Team honors to complete his college career. 

After going undrafted in 2022, Ellis inked a two-way contract with the Kings, appearing in 16 games as a rookie. Before his sophomore season, the Florida native signed another two-way deal, but by February, had earned a multi-year contract with the Kings, appearing in 57 games with 16 starts. In his third season, Ellis played in 80 games, shooting 43 percent from long-range and establishing himself as the squad’s most tenacious perimeter defender. 

Midway through his fourth year – just after the Kings had dropped their ninth straight contest – he found himself headed to Cleveland as part of a deal that included fellow guard Dennis Schröder, with the Wine & Gold sending De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento and a second round draft pick to Chicago in a three-team deal. 

“I kind of knew I would probably be traded, just because of the way the (Kings’) season was going, where we were as a team, I knew I'd probably be on the move,” said Ellis. “We were on the road trip. We had one game left. We were in Washington and I knew the Deadline was coming up. Actually, we had one game before the deadline on the 4^th, and I was like, honestly, I might get traded on the trip.

“I was actually on the phone with my mom. I said, if I do get traded – which I mean, I was hearing – I just hope I'll at least be able to go back to Sacramento, pack some stuff. And then literally after I got off the phone with her, our GM called. And as soon as I saw his number pop, I was like: Oh, yeah, I’m probably getting traded right now. So that happened, I got on a flight the next day, (Cleveland) was already on the West Coast, so went to Sac to get some stuff, met the guys in LA and just got to know everybody.” 

Ellis hit the ground running from there. In 18 minutes off the bench in his Cavs debut, the 6-4, 175-pounder finished with six points, drilling a pair of triples, adding three boards a pair of steals in a win over the Clippers. 

Being able to fit right in was no surprise to Ellis, whose game naturally meshed well with the Wine & Gold. He knew his role coming in and blended seamlessly. 

“I think with what I do out there, it's easy to fit in with anybody,” said the easy-going Ellis. “I mean, I'm going to go out there to play defense, be in the right spots, knock down open shots. So, you can kind of put me in anywhere on any team, and there's a situation for me. And with this team, it's really easy. We have great rim protection. We have the scoring already. So, I only need to do my job, I don't have to do anything too crazy.”

As it turned out, after dropping the Clippers, the Cavaliers weren’t done wheeling and dealing. And before Cleveland could face off against Ellis’ former squad in the penultimate game of the trip, an even bigger trade was in the works. 

“I was in my hotel room, and I was on the phone with one of my boys and he was like: ‘Y'all might get James Harden.’ But I hadn't seen anything. I'm like: What are you talking about? And then literally, like two minutes later, a tweet came out that, you know, they were in talks and all that. And I thought, OK, I guess there is something going on. You know, you can't really trust too much of anything these days.

“(Harden) is going to be huge for us. What he brings will definitely help us in the playoffs. So, with him, me, and Dennis, we're coming in and looking to have a winning impact. And I think we're all on the same page as a team.”

After leaving a Kings team that just snapped a 16-game slide, Ellis – who’s never tasted the NBA playoffs – joined the league’s hottest squad. Before falling in a tight decision on Sunday afternoon in OKC, Cleveland hadn’t dropped a game since his arrival. And he’s been instrumental in that success. 

Coming off the bench in every game since his arrival, he’s shot at least 40 percent from the floor in every game but one. Over that seven-game span, he’s recorded a steal in all seven, with four games with at least two picks. In last week’s win over Brooklyn, he blocked three shots, and in Sunday’s loss to the Thunder, the former Crimson Tide standout finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, adding three assists and two steals in 23 productive minutes. 

Most importantly, his season was salvaged – going from a team with the league’s worst record to a true title contender. 

As welcome as the news of the trade was for Ellis, he was still honest about his initial thoughts. 

“First thing I thought of was like: Man … the weather,” laughed Ellis. “That's what I thought about, the cold, I've never lived in the cold. So, that was definitely my first thought. But then after that, I was really excited to be on a contending team –they're trying to win right now. So, I was definitely happy about the situation and that I could come in and help.

“After I got over that first thought, I was glad to be in a good situation. I mean, I’ll be alright. I’ll throw a coat on and we'll make it happen.” 

Through his first four seasons as a pro, Ellis has made his bones on the defensive end of the floor. But he’s also proven to be an adept shooter when the opportunity presents itself – shooting at least 42 percent from beyond the arc in each of his first three years, including a .433 in 2024-25. And on a team that boasts weapons all over the floor that opponents need to focus on, those opportunities could easily expand. 

“Honestly, I haven't really thought about that,” said Ellis. “I mean, the shooting, I usually just take whatever shots are given to me, but I do wonder what my shooting would look like if I was used more as a movement shooter. But I kind of just go out there, and whatever shots feel comfortable, those are the ones I'm just going to take. I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team win. I’m not focusing on my shots. I’m just trying to do my job.” 

Right now, Ellis is doing his job very well, and he’s just getting started. He’s already posted 16 games with multiple steals this season, topped double-digit scoring on nine occasions, with a pair of 20-point performances. 

The 26-year-old guard has recorded 12 multi-steal games this season, including a career-high-tying six steals on December 18 at Portland. He has scored in double figures nine times, including two games with at least 20 points. Through his first seven games with Cleveland, the team is a +7.4 with him on the floor – best mark on the squad. 

“I’m literally just trying to win,” concluded Ellis. “I think you just take it day-by-day, game-by-game, just keep stacking wins and we'll get to where we want to go eventually. We met with the coaches in LA for a little semi-practice before we played the Clippers, and they were like: Just go out there and play hard. If we play hard for 48 minutes, we'll come away with the win. 

“So, I think that's just kind of my mentality every game: Just go out there, play hard, take care of the game and not really focus on what's going on later down the road. And that’ll set us up for the final stretch of the season. We’ll comb out all the other stuff as we go, and everything will take care of itself. Right now, winning is our only focus.”