What Players Should Milwaukee Bucks Target In A Potential Greg Monroe Trade?
By Adam McGee
CJ McCollum and Ed Davis
The joy for any team dealing with the Trail Blazers is that there are so many options. There might not be another team who’s cap situation is quite as well managed as Portland’s is right now.
Of course, that’s not entirely by design. That will happen quite organically after a summer when four of your five starters leave for pastures new as free agents, and you also strike out on top free agent targets. Yet in spite of that, Portland still has some good young players, no bad contracts and the freedom to move as they see fit.
For the Bucks, I can’t really see a situation that I like more than this one, it keeps the Bucks flexible this summer and beyond (if they wish) while also giving them talented young players who can help in areas where the team struggles.
Ed Davis is an active and intelligent role player who can fill in at the four or five, offering a nice mix of skills on both ends. He’s an outstanding rebounder averaging 7.2 rebounds in 21 minutes per game with Portland this season and 10.8 per 36 for his career.
Per Basketball-Reference, he’s also posting a mind-blowing net rating of plus 25 this season (first for Portland in offensive rating, second in defensive rating). That would seem like some sort of freak statistic until you look back throughout his career. Davis’ teams have always been better with him on the floor, and for his career his net rating rounds out at plus 12.
If you were to move on from Monroe, a Henson and Davis combination would seem like a great answer at center.
How much selling do I have to do with C.J. McCollum? With the mass exodus in Rip City, McCollum has become the team’s second banana and he’s proven more capable than anybody could have expected. For the season he’s averaging 20.8 points per game, shooting just below 40 percent from deep.
The obvious question you’re probably asking yourself right now is why would Portland have any interest in giving up a guy with that ability for Monroe?
The answer to that is there are question marks over the long-term fit and potential ceiling of a backcourt that includes both Damian Lillard and McCollum. To truly contend Portland would likely need better defense and a more diverse threat overall. John Canzano of The Oregonian is thinking along those same lines:
"The Blazers general manager should be quietly shopping McCollum, gauging his trade value. If the return resulted in a front-line player who would start for multiple seasons and better complement Lillard, you’d have to consider making it."
This is certainly a suggestion that fans in Portland would certainly hate, as they understandably love what McCollum has brought to the court this year, but if the front office has any doubts over whether they want to eventually use their current cap space on maxing out McCollum as a second option, this is a phone call worth making for Milwaukee.
Sealing a deal realized may potentially take the Bucks forfeiting a pick which is not an idea that anybody is going to be enamored with, but adding a dynamic young scorer like McCollum gives Milwaukee’s future a different dynamic.
If the front office are really concerned about how Jabari Parker is going to develop, McCollum would present a form of offensive insurance as Milwaukee’s wings could move up a spot to make room for him in a grim, hypothetical world without Jabari.
McCollum could also potentially play some time at point guard either, although I’ll stress that would probably not be the best use of him. As a Sixth Man he could transform Milwaukee’s bench next season, if they chose to go that way, and in his case the fact that there’s no long-term commitment could prove to be a real positive.
If the Bucks want to re-sign him next summer, they can do so with the money that may have become Greg Monroe’s otherwise. If it doesn’t quite work out, or they feel more comfortable saving cap space for their current young core or future additions, they could simply let him walk either.
In a deal such as this one, Portland could get Monroe, the man they really wanted last summer and still have $13 million in cap space as it stands. To find an ideal scenario for both sides it might take a few tweaks here and there, but exploring this option could potentially help both front offices to move a step closer to realizing their visions for their teams.
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