With Greg Monroe‘s Milwaukee future still uncertain, who are the teams who could be a part of any upcoming trade involving the 26-year-old?
In recent months it has becoming increasingly difficult to identify potential landing spots for Greg Monroe via trade, as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to be eager to move on from a free agent signing that has since been widely recognized as a mistake.
There are a number of reasons why the Greg Monroe trade market certainly wouldn’t be described as thriving.
Monroe is virtually an expiring contract considering he has a player option next summer, many of the best teams around the league have been able to address their center rotation in free agency, and perhaps most importantly, as an old school center in a new school league Monroe is akin to the last of a dying breed.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
These factors have all contributed to a process that has continued to drag on and possibly will never see a resolution prior to Monroe’s next turn to enter free agency. Still, improbable doesn’t equal impossible.
If Monroe does get traded, where could he land? For a variety of reasons, there are multiple teams who could conceivably be open to fielding calls on a deal for the big man, even if a deal would be easier for some to complete than others.
Having rounded up five teams who could have the right openings on their roster or motivations to make a deal, let’s look at five scenarios that could see Monroe wearing the uniform of a different team next season.
Next: Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets arguably make more sense than any other team in the NBA as a potential landing spot for Greg Monroe, as they find themselves in the rare position of having not only played, but been successful with an old school big man.
Al Jefferson is, in many ways, the template for how Monroe could integrate in different scenarios around the league and with big Al now in Indiana, the Hornets have lost what was a valuable weapon in their offense.
Although they’ve done a good job of retooling their center rotation to be solid if inexpensive, among Cody Zeller, Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, they’re lacking the kind of high level post scoring that Jefferson had made a staple of their play.
Adding Monroe could address that balance and the Hornets could probably do so without giving up anything that they weren’t trying to move already. Spencer Hawes and Jeremy Lamb could help the Bucks with their continued pursuit of improved floor spacing, while offering them a saving of almost $4.5 million next season compared to Monroe’s deal.
Moving forward, if both proved to be solid contributors their $6 million contracts would represent good value under the current cap, while they wouldn’t be difficult to move if needed either.
For Charlotte, a one year gamble on Monroe at that price would be worthwhile as both he and fellow former Georgetown Hoya Roy Hibbert would enter free agency again next summer, setting up a season long audition for what style the team should turn to at center in the future.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
If Greg Monroe had the chance to choose the next destination of his NBA career, a homecoming in New Orleans would likely rank towards the top of his list.
The Pelicans have previously enquired about Monroe’s availability and reports at the trade deadline suggested that he was eager to return to his home state.
A Pelicans pursuit of Greg Monroe begins to make even more sense when you consider the existing options that New Orleans has at center. In spite of a low-key but impressive offseason that improved their depth options all around, Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca remain far from inspiring at the center spot.
The problem in any potential Bucks/Pelicans deal arises from Milwaukee’s understandable reluctance to take on Asik’s dreadful contract or Tyreke Evans‘ terrifying injury history. The Pelicans just don’t to seem to have the assets to make a deal.
Still, there may be no other team with the same level of motivation to acquire Monroe. The one year deal need not scare the Pelicans as much as others, as they’d have a plausible appeal to get Monroe to re-sign on a new contract.
It would almost certainly take a third team with the cap space necessary to absorb Asik’s contract, but don’t rule out a Pelicans deal just yet.
Next: Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets
With no real shape yet on their roster, the Brooklyn Nets will likely be open to all offers and possibilities, not just for the remainder of this summer but also in the coming few seasons.
As such, fit may not be as pressing of a concern as assets will be for Brooklyn. That makes the Nets an ideal candidate to act as a facilitator in a Monroe deal elsewhere, but could also make them a dark horse candidate to land him in their own right.
With Brook Lopez already in situ as comfortably Brooklyn’s best player, there isn’t an obvious opening for Monroe with the Nets. Still, with a lack of proven options behind Lopez, Greg Monroe would offer a significant depth improvement while also bringing the Nets past the salary floor.
Technically, the Nets could absorb Monroe’s contract with no more than cash considerations being sent in the opposite direction but a deal would likely require a tangible asset for Milwaukee to feel inclined to pull the trigger.
With Miles Plumlee and John Henson ensuring that vast amounts of money are already tied up at center, who knows, maybe the Bucks would just consider a clean break as enough motivation to do a deal. With Brooklyn’s flexibility, they’re a team who could yet factor into a Monroe trade in a number of different ways.
Next: San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
I’d never given this option any thought until Sam Amico of Amico Hoops suggested a Spurs interest in Greg Monroe earlier in the week, but there are some factors that could make it intriguing.
The Spurs pride themselves on ball movement and their passing abilities and although that isn’t going to change in a hurry, the loss of Boris Diaw and Tim Duncan from the front court means they’re not blessed with the same caliber of passing big men as they once were. Monroe is a talented passer who could help to bolster those options.
San Antonio don’t currently find themselves short on talented front court options with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, but they are lacking in depth thanks to the departure of Bojan Marjanovic as well as mainstays like Duncan and Diaw who I have already mentioned.
Dewayne Dedmon should prove to be a value center pickup, who could end up surprising people with his contributions as a Spur, but with both Aldridge and Gasol at ease in occasional minutes at power forward, another center would make a lot of sense.
The Spurs may need the help of a third team to facilitate a deal and would potentially still be facing up to the possibility of shedding not only Patty Mills’ expiring contract but also the three years remaining on Danny Green‘s deal. That would appear to be a very steep price to pay for Monroe but perhaps San Antonio would be open to taking the risk and having the cap space to lure free agents again next summer.
Next: Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
It seems like a certainty that there are more moves coming from the Boston Celtics. Now the only question that remains seems to be what happens if they strike out on rumored top trade targets like Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin.
With Al Horford versatile and well-rounded enough to be able to play either of the power forward or center spots on both ends of the floor, don’t rule a Monroe deal out of the question if Boston can’t pull off one of their more immediate preferences.
Monroe would help to add a scoring punch to a team who struggled greatly in that department last season, and between expiring contracts and a war chest of draft picks, Boston would have the assets to do a deal with Milwaukee without giving up anything that they believed to be truly valuable.
A package comprising of Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko would certainly provide Milwaukee with much better fits than Monroe, and could act as a nice makeweight deal for the Celtics until something better comes around in free agency next summer.
Next: The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #4: Summer League Wrap-Up
The Celtics are in a spot where they’ll now be eager to get better and show just how competitive they can be, yet their end goal is still having the space to attract major free agents to build their next real contender. A Greg Monroe deal could help them towards the first part of that plan, while doing nothing to hinder the more important second stage.