The Brooklyn Nets could be a potential destination for Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe, who is likely to be traded before the regular season begins.
The Bucks have been actively exploring deals that would allow them to unload Greg Monroe and the remaining amount of his three-year $50 million deal he signed with the team last summer. A handful of teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks have shown interests in trading for Monroe, but any potential deal would likely require both teams to move some of the players in their core roster.
One team that could make a run for Monroe without sacrificing much assets is the Brooklyn Nets, who, according to NBA analyst and Nets' former general manager Sean Marks, are likely to be active in the trade market, with the team still having enough cap space to orchestrate a transaction.
"Often teams with salary cap space who miss out on free agents will deviate from their initial plan and make rash decisions," Marks wrote.
"Brooklyn, however, showed restraint and kept flexibility after the offer sheets on Johnson and Crabbe were matched. Although the Nets had $40 million-plus in cap space, Brooklyn went the one-year route with veterans Scola, Vasquez and Foye."
TJ Porreca of Nothin But Nets, a fan site hosted by Sports Illustrated, believes a trade for Monroe would be worth pursuing for the Nets, if the Bucks is seriously into moving the 26-year-old center.
"If Milwaukee is immensely motivated to move Monroe, the price to acquire him could be cheap. If that's the case, this could be a move worth pursuing for Sean Marks," Porreca wrote
With $17.7 million in cap space, the Nets would have no difficulty acquiring Monroe from the Bucks. Adding Monroe, who averaged 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for Milwaukee last season, would add another proven veteran to a young Nets team and would form a formidable frontcourt with Brook Lopez in Brooklyn.
It is unclear whether the Bucks would heavily consider trading Monroe for cap room, but doing so would give Milwaukee a chance for a mid-season addition of a veteran who would fit better in the team's system.
As for the Nets, they could stand pat and wait for more intriguing options available in the trade market. But if Brooklyn views Monroe as an essential piece to their success this season, it is certainly a deal worth exploring for the Nets.