Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe. (Photo : Getty Images)
Greg Monroe is still on the NBA trade rumor mill as the Milwaukee Bucks seem determined to trade him.
It has reached a question of just how much the Bucks can get in return. However, there is a claim that there could actually be a bidding war between two teams for his services.
In a report from Adrian Lowhorn of Inquisitr, he stated that the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs could be pining for his services.
These are two teams that recently retooled although the Spurs lost a legend with the retirement of Tim Duncan. However, they did get Pau Gasol as their new low post threat.
While Gasol is definitely serviceable and can still be an All-Star, he is far from a long-term replacement for Timmy. Gasol could be on his last deal with the Spurs and the team would be hard-pressed to invest in a center again.
That's probably why they Spurs have been linked with Monroe. However, the Spurs may have to part with rotation players like Patty Mills, Danny Green or Kyle Anderson in the process. They may opt to take a chance in free agency (Monroe has a player option-he could be a free agent in 2017 or 2018).
It seems like the Spurs have already made their decision as they have just signed David Lee. This was confirmed by Lee's agent Mark Bartelstein on ESPN.
"We've been talking to the Spurs for quite a while," Bartelstein said. "There's a number of places he could have gone and done better economically, but Pop and R.C. (coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford) worked hard to let David know how valuable they thought he could be to their team."
Now the focus is on the New York Knicks. They already acquired Joakim Noah on a huge contract and they also have Kristaps Porzingis. But Noah is not a low-post scorer and Porzingis may serve as a stretch four (or five).
Monroe is a player who has long been on the Knicks radar and this could be the Knicks chance to buy low on him. The Knicks are capped out with all their acquisitions though and they may not assemble the necessary pieces to match salary, unless they trade Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis.
The trade could not happen realistically at this point, but this could be the subject of a future transaction when the Knicks' new signings can be eligible for trade. One wonders how the "bidding war" took place and what offers were made.
