He was traded to the Bucks when the Golden State Warriors decided to rebuild around Stephen Curry. Then he voluntarily left Milwaukee, leaving nearly $11 million on the table, to join the Dallas Mavericks in an attempt to shed the "volume scorer" label which had followed him all throughout his career. But when it came time for him to exercise his player option at season's end with the team he led in scoring, Ellis declined as rumors mounted that Dallas planned to trade him should he opt-in. The message there was the same as it had been at his previous two stops:
It's time to move on.