Keon Ellis

Ellis is proof that defense travels. Undrafted out of Alabama in 2022, he earned his way into Sacramento's rotation the hard way — as a point-of-attack pest who guards bigger, chases shooters, and knocks down the open corner three when the offense finds him. His 2025-26 season was a whirlwind: he opened it with the Kings before a February trade sent him and Dennis Schroder to Cleveland, where he averaged 8.3 points and 1.3 steals across 29 games as a defensive plug. His playoff minutes thinned out, but his free-agent market did not — Brooklyn signed him to a two-year, $18M deal in the 2026 offseason, reuniting him with former Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez. The logic is simple: a switchable, low-usage 3-and-D guard is always in demand, and Ellis has quietly become one.