Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: What Would It Take To Trade Greg Monroe?

If the Milwaukee Bucks are open to offers for Greg Monroe, what type of return will they be looking for?

Those of you of a nervous disposition should probably look away now. As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to be a disappointment and their chances of a playoff berth have practically vanished, the looming trade deadline continues to hold greater significance.

Multiple Milwaukee Bucks rumors are swirling, and it’s not difficult to understand why. The Bucks have a lot of different options. They’re in a position where valid cases can be made for them staying the course with their current group, making minor tweaks that could have greater bearing in the future, or exploring moves on a much major scale.

With John Hammond’s penchant for trades, almost anything is a possibility, and therefore some suggestions that may have seemed incredibly unlikely only a short time ago now have to be treated a little bit more seriously.

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The first of which is the idea of a Greg Monroe trade. In spite of being Milwaukee’s biggest free agent signing for many years (if not ever) and only joining the team last summer, with his short contract, the Bucks need to treat Moose’s situation sensibly.

That was something I discussed a couple of weeks ago, and it’s something that’s maybe more worthy of consideration now than it has been ever before.

For those of you who haven’t immediately picked up on it, the GM mentioned in the above tweets by ESPN’s Zach Lowe is none other than Greg Monroe.

If the Bucks are going to “sniff around deals”, what are they going to be looking for? What would make them pull the trigger on Greg Monroe?

Next: Defensive Centers

Defensive Center

The reason the Milwaukee Bucks went after Greg Monroe was that many experts were insisting that what they truly needed was a post-up oriented, dominant inside scorer.

That may have been true in last season’s playoff run, but it wasn’t necessarily accounting for the way in which the frontcourt would change with the inclusion of a fit again Jabari Parker. Defense is most definitely not Parker’s strong suit, and if Milwaukee want to get the best out of their young star, they may need to get a center who can help counter that.

If the Bucks were to move Monroe in pursuit of a player in that mold, it would be a sign that they don’t necessarily have faith in John Henson‘s ability as a starting center. At least in theory, Henson should fit that bill of requirements.

There are some excellent defensive centers currently rumored to be available via trade though.

Dwight Howard could become a free agent this summer, so the Rockets will certainly be open to offers. Any deal for Howard would be challenging salary wise for Milwaukee, and with his waning health, it certainly wouldn’t be advisable. A younger, healthier Howard would have been the type of best of both worlds center that Milwaukee could have thrived with though.

Another player that might be available who could offer Milwaukee a boost defensively, while also maintaining a varied offensive threat is Al Horford.

As a free agent this summer, any deal involving Horford would include Gary Payton-esque risks for the Bucks, but a veteran leader, who can lock down defensively while also stretching out and shooting the three on offense is a very rare talent that would certainly alter how the Bucks prepare for the future.

The challenge for the Bucks would be to find a center who ticks all the right boxes and that they can be confident of sharing a long-term future with. Is that player out there, and if so, are they truly attainable? If the Bucks believe so, I’ve no doubt they’d be prepared to make a deal.

Next: Wing Support

Wing Support

Although with Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo already in tow further additions to wing positions may not seem like the most pressing of needs for the Bucks, they really could do with some support in reserve.

Milwaukee’s bench is paper thin and scheduled to get even thinner when free agency hits this summer. A top priority will not only be to rebuild it but also to diversify some of the skill sets brought to the table. So why not start that task now via trade, if Monroe was to be moved?

Lockdown defenders and spot-up shooters would be at the top of any such list and if the Bucks could find some real quality parts that could be slotted in at those positions all of a sudden they would have genuinely varied options depending on the matchup.

How much better would the Bucks be overall if they could add an Avery Bradley or a Jae Crowder into the mix? What about Trevor Ariza?

Wing specialists are likely going to be near the top of Milwaukee’s shopping list this summer, so if they could do a deal where part of the return was an elite wing, I’m sure they’d be open to that possibility.

Next: Point Guard Alternatives

Point Guard Alternatives

Michael Carter-Williams‘ season has improved significantly as time has gone on, but there’s still a feeling for many that the Bucks would be open to making moves to upgrade at point guard.

A guard who could shoot would certainly help the Bucks to open out the floor, creating greater space for drives from Parker and Antetokounmpo in particular, but who fits the criteria?

Milwaukee has often been linked with interest in Rockets point guard Ty Lawson. Jeff Teague is another name who has a long-standing link with the Bucks. Then there’s Mike Conley, a guard who has long been a fantasy free agent Bucks target for many fans.

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Deals for any of those three would have challenges due to salaries, and the big men on those teams would make their need for Monroe questionable. Saying that, if those three could work in Milwaukee, there are plenty of others who could too. The Bucks could be swayed if a deal included the right point guard.

Next: More Picks

More Picks

Heading into this year’s draft, the Milwaukee Bucks are currently on course to have their own first round pick and two second rounders at the very least. Building upon that or constructing a war chest for future years would certainly not be a bad thing.

Milwaukee’s first round pick is improving in value with every loss that the team accumulates, but if they wanted to get their hands on some of the perceived elite talent in this class like Ben Simmons or Brandan Ingram, their pick won’t be enough for that.

Moving Monroe for cap space and draft picks could help the team significantly. Not only could high quality picks give the Bucks the chance to draft multiple players who could help the team moving forward, but they may also have the chance to package picks together with a view to moving up in the draft, if they so wished.

It’s not often that teams with the type of core talent level that Milwaukee has get the chance to continue building by adding high class talent, but that’s exactly what this season may grow into.

Next: Michael Carter-Williams' Versatility Is Helping The Milwaukee Bucks

Besides, with the exception of Monroe, all of the Bucks core pieces have either been acquired via the draft or by trading players that were picked up in the draft. Why not look to go back to that well again?