The Milwaukee Bucks’ attempts to shop Greg Monroe make up the worst-kept secret in the NBA—because it’s not a secret.
Monroe doesn’t fit what the Bucks are trying to do. He is a defensive liability, and his post game isn’t as valuable to a team that can’t surround him with a ton of shooters. The fit is even more quirky when you consider he isn’t the most deft pick-and-roll finisher, either.
The Bucks, though, haven’t yet traded him, in part because he’s on an expiring contract. He can become a free agent in 2017, amid another salary-cap boom, if he declines his player option for 2017-18. Interested teams won’t fork over queen and country for a potential rental. Plus, you know, the market for Monroe may just not exist. It’s difficult to find a destination for someone with his skill set. He is not worthless, but he needs to be in a very specific situation to succeed, flanked by shooters and defenders who can cover up for everything he doesn’t do on both ends of the floor.
Are the New Orleans Pelicans that team?
Monroe might hope so.
Zach Lowe and Marc Stein of ESPN.com’s talked about the Monroe rumor mill during a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast. According to Lowe, the Pelicans may have come close to striking a trade for Monroe in the semi-recent past, and according to Stein, Monroe may actually want to end up in New Orleans.
Here’s what they said, per Hoops Rumors:
“I think [the Bucks] got closer than maybe has been reported with New Orleans during either the draft or free agency,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said during today’s episode of The Lowe Post podcast (54:25 mark for the relevant portion).
“Monroe’s a New Orleans native,” ESPN’s Marc Stein added. “I think that’s where he wants to end up.”
Neither of the two said anything about a deal being close now. The Pelicans may have a tough time matching salary before midseason, when some of their recent free-agent signings are eligible to be traded. The Bucks probably don’t want Omer Asik, Tyreke Evans is injured and Jrue Holiday is too steep a price to pay.
There’s no guarantee Monroe is a better fit in New Orleans anyway. It helps that he Anthony Davis can protect the rim and space the floor, thus meaning Monroe doesn’t have to, but the Pelicans don’t have enough proven defenders or shooters to make it a seamless transition. Still, Monroe might be worth a flier to the Pelicans, provided the price is right, since they know they can cut the cord in a year or two tops.
