Greg Monroe (Photo : Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Bucks are still in the middle of NBA trade rumors because of their intention to trade Greg Monroe.
Monroe was not a good fit with what the Bucks wanted to do. They need more of a defensive anchor in the middle rather than a low post-scorer who is too slow to defend the pick-and-roll.
The Bucks are clearly in a position of weakness. Monroe's $17 million salary and his status as a possible free agent at the end of the season are driving away potential trade partners. As Hoops Rumors mentioned, "any team that considers a midseason trade for Monroe is going to want an assurance that he won't opt out of a $17.9MM salary next summer. His decision may come down to how soon he wants to leave Milwaukee."
There are teams that make sense as destinations for Monroe. One of them is the Boston Celtics and it's not because they are chasing for stars. They really need a center and they have enough players who can cover Monroe's defensive deficiencies not to mention a solid system run by Brad Stevens.
Perhaps one way for the Bucks to finally trade Monroe is to add a sweetener to the deal. Jabari Parker is a player that many teams covet. He has shown his scoring prowess yet still has potential to get better. While the Bucks place a lot of value on him, he is not at all untouchable.
The Bucks will experiment on Giannis Antetojounmpo running the point, but the natural position for the Greek Freak is small forward. Parker was pushed to play the "four" but Fansided team blog Behind the Buck Pass mentioned, this was not a favorable experiment.
"The experiment of using Parker at the four failed miserably on the defensive end. Through the first half the season, the Bucks ranked in bottom five in defensive efficiency," the article stated.
Fielding Parker and Monroe as their frontcourt augmented the Bucks' defensive woes. If they can't find a solution at the start of the season, it could be better for Milwaukee to trade both players as a package. The Celtics have a plethora of power forwards and other assets to choose from, not to mention capable point guards.
A trade sending Monroe and Parker could elicit a package of Amir Johnson, Marcus Smart and Jonas Jerebko. It helps alleviate the positional logjams of both teams at least on paper.
These two teams are willing traders, and it's likely that they have had discussions between them.
