Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Greg Monroe Wants New Orleans

Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: If Greg Monroe is traded away from Milwaukee, the New Orleans Pelicans seem to be one place he would like to land.

Milwaukee Bucks rumors continue to swirl, as they continue to put effort into trading last offseason’s big free agent acquisition Greg Monroe.

The Monroe experiment has not gone well with the Bucks, as he proved to be a poor fit for what head coach Jason Kidd was trying to put together in Milwaukee.

Monroe had good averages of 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game. Monroe was removed from the starting lineup for 12 of the games he appeared in, as Kidd struggled to find a fit for him in their lineup.

With Jabari Parker entrenched as the starting power forward, Monroe makes for a clumsy and poor pairing at center, as it gives the Bucks very little interior defense. Neither player is much of a rim protector, putting a lot of pressure on the Bucks perimeter players to defend their opponents.

While the Bucks deploy a lengthy starting lineup led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams on the perimeter, there is only so much they can do without much help behind them.

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That is just one of the reasons that the Bucks are looking to trade Monroe, something they have been doing since the NBA trade deadline last season. Monroe has been on the trade block for a while now, with the New York Knicks being one team rumored to be interested in him.

The Knicks were one of the teams pursuing Monroe last summer when he was a free agent, but missed out on him as the Bucks offered a lucrative contract. But, New York does not seem to be where Monroe would like to end up.

If he had his choice of teams, it sounds like Monroe would like to end up with the New Orleans Pelicans.

While talking on his podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that the two teams have discussed a swap involving Monroe previously, and ESPN’s Marc Stein added that he believes New Orleans is the place he would like to end up if he is ultimately traded.

"“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 Lowe nor Stein said that a deal is not imminent between the two teams, but Stein did mention that the two teams had discussed a Monroe trade prior to the NBA trade deadline in February.

The Pelicans, much like the Bucks, were disappointing during the 2015-16 season, as they missed the postseason after making a surprise run there following the 2014-15 season. Both teams are looking to shake things up and Monroe would be an excellent fit for the Pelicans.

He could slide right into the starting lineup alongside Anthony Davis, as the two complement each other well.

Davis would help cover up for the shortcomings Monroe has defensively, while Monroe could help bang with the bigger players on the inside, saving Davis from the beating from playing in the middle continuously.

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The Bucks will find it difficult to get much value for Monroe, as he has a player option for the 2017-18 season and will probably exercise that to hit the open market once again and strike it rich.

But he proved to be a poor fit for the Bucks scheme last season, so parting ways may be the best option for both Monroe and the Bucks.

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Bucks Rumors: Greg Monroe Wants New Orleans Pelicans

By Kenneth Teape | Jul 31, 2016

Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: If Greg Monroe is traded away from Milwaukee, the New Orleans Pelicans seem to be one place he would like to land.