Greg Monroe (Photo : Getty Images)
The Toronto Raptors have positioned itself as a prime destination for Milwaukee Bucks power forward Greg Monroe, who has presumably been made available for potential trades.
The Raptors just had a solid offseason after locking in DeMar DeRozan for five more years and pulling off an under-the-radar by signing Jarred Sullinger on a one-year, $5 million deal.
However, neither of these moves narrowed down the talent gap that separates them and the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although the Raptors are still ranked by many experts as the second best team in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and even the New York Knicks, teams that made huge moves this offseason through free-agency and trade, are closing in.
The All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeRozan will continue to be the main offensive options for the Raptors. DeMarre Crawford will still be their premiere defensive stopper at the wing, while Jonas Valanciunas anchors that defense. Other than that, the Raptors are still a perimeter shooting team that lacks a legit low-post scorer.
But it's still not too late for the Raptors to make a move, thought it would require general manager Masai Ujiri to go outside the box and come through with a gambit on the trade market.
The Bucks are reportedly entertaining trade offers for Monroe after signing him to a three-year, $50 million deal last summer. The 7-year veteran averaged 15.3 points on 52 percent FG shooting with 8.8 rebounds over 79 games last season.
Although Monroe's first season in Milwaukee was productive, the Bucks had a hard time doling out minutes for other big men John Henson and Jabbari Parker. This problem is expected to persist with the arrival of Mirza Teletovic and Thon Maker (the 10th overall pick in 2016 NBA Draft).
The Raptors are seen by many as a perfect landing spot for Monroe because of their need to beef up their frontline. Monroe isn't a modern type of forward, but he can knock down jumpers just inside the three-point line.
To land Monroe, Ujiri will likely need to send Terrence Ross ($10M), Patrick Patterson ($6 million) and a first-round pick. Ross, entering his fifth season in the NBA, has shown flashes of potential though inconsistency remains the biggest hurdle in his career. That could be said too for Patterson, who averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 boards in his career.
For the Bucks, dealing away Monroe would free-up minutes for their young frontline players like Henson and the 19-year old Maker, who just turned some heads during his Summer League campaign.
Milwaukee boasts a collection of talented youngsters like Parker, Henson, Michael Carter-Williams, and Giannis Antetokounmp, and are expected to contend for a postseason spot this coming season.
