What Players Should Milwaukee Bucks Target In A Potential Greg Monroe Trade?
By Adam McGee
Frank Kaminsky
Kaminsky is certainly the least glamorous of returns here, and obviously a deal for Monroe would need to see the Bucks receive more in return.
I’ll be honest, as someone who is not an avid college basketball watcher, I was not very optimistic about the chances of Frank the Tank being anything other than a bust in the NBA.
Sure, stretch shooting big men are more valuable than ever, but the signs weren’t exactly trending upwards for a late blooming, four year college guy who had never been an elite rebounder, and it seemed like could have challenges defensively against the pros.
To my surprise, Kaminsky has been pleasantly effective in the NBA. He can make his shot from the NBA three-point line and has shown no fear in taking them either. He’s certainly not a lockdown defender, or even plus on that side of the ball, but he doesn’t really hurt you that much.
For Charlotte, a move to bring in Monroe makes perfect sense. Al Jefferson and Nicolas Batum are both unrestricted free agents this summer, so they likely wouldn’t be opposed to having a bit more security heading into the summer.
Monroe could offer them a skill set which isn’t dramatically different to Jefferson’s, yet as a considerably younger and healthier option, he’d be one who they’re more likely going to be prepared to invest in.
On Milwaukee’s side, to make a deal work salary wise, there’s a strong chance that they may have to take Jefferson back in a deal, but that would be nothing more than an expiring contract of a player who they would allow to walk away in the summer.
Batum could come back either, but Charlotte may be more inclined to try their hand at re-signing him themselves.
Kaminsky would be a nice, young role player for the Bucks to add, and he would be undoubtedly popular among the fans due to his Wisconsin Badger ties to the state.
Alongside Kaminsky, the Bucks could look to take a punt on a young player like P.J. Hairston who hasn’t worked out at all for the Hornets, but may still have some salvageable potential as a shooting wing, or Aaron Harrison, the former Kentucky Wildcat who has had minimal opportunities as a pro to date.
In all likelihood, a deal like this would require the addition of a pick for the Bucks. It’s not a major haul in return either way, and certainly not as appealing as the others above but if the Bucks are looking to bring back players in exchange for Monroe without really impacting their future outlook and core of young talent, they could certainly do worse than adding another young role player in exchange for a deal that didn’t pan out as they had hoped.
In terms of a trade, this might be the definition of selling low, but if you’re not confident in Monroe working out long term, there’s no way to sell lower than having him take up cap space for two seasons before ultimately leaving for nothing.
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