Bucks Rumors: Milwaukee Still Shopping Greg Monroe
Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Center Greg Monroe continues to be shopped by the team.
Milwaukee Bucks rumors have revolved around power forward/center Greg Monroe for a while now. Seemingly from the minute he signed with the Bucks as a free agent during the summer of 2015, Monroe has been on the trade block.
At the time of his signing, Monroe seemed like an awkward fit for the Bucks. His playing style didn’t quite mesh with what Jason Kidd was hoping to do with the roster. But, it was looked at as a sign the Bucks were moving in the right direction.
Despite plenty of teams, including the New York Knicks, pursuing Monroe, he decided to sign with the Bucks.
The Bucks are probably hoping that he had decided to sign somewhere else as he has become a headache for the franchise. Monroe isn’t a bad player, or a problem the team has to deal with off the court; he just doesn’t seem to fit into their immediate or future plans.
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As a result, the Bucks have been looking to trade Monroe for a while now. Right before the regular season got under way, Milwaukee talked to the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets about trading for Monroe.
The Bucks looked to trade Monroe this offseason, and the New Orleans Pelicans emerged as a potential candidate. Monroe would have been happy to play for the Pelicans, and would have made an intriguing fit alongside Anthony Davis.
The two teams were unable to make a deal happen, so Monroe remained with the Bucks.
But, the two teams were unable to make a deal happen, so Monroe remained with the Bucks. Trade chatter increased once again when Monroe was removed from the rotation. But, that only lasted for three games.
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As a result, the trade chatter died down for some time, but now it is beginning to pick back up.
According to a source that talked to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, the Bucks are still looking for a trade partner to take Monroe off their hands. It makes sense why the Bucks would like to still move Monroe despite the success he is having off their bench.
Monroe has turned into a very serviceable season for the Bucks with their second unit. It can be argued he is even putting together the best career of his season.
Despite no longer being a starter and playing a career-low 19.4 minutes per game, Monroe has proven to be an important player to the Bucks’ success.
While his per game stats aren’t overly impressive, his per-36 minute stats and differentials are very good. Per 36 minutes, Monroe is averaging 17.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
He is putting up a career-high 22.3 PER, a team-best plus-10.3 net rating, and the Bucks have been 12.1 points per 100 possessions better with Monroe on the court than on the bench.
Monroe doesn’t seem like a poor fit for the Bucks with the stats that he is putting up, but they treat him as if he isn’t helping. Monroe is making $17.3 million this season, yet is being used as a part-time, spare part type of player.
He has a player option for $17.9 million next season as well, which makes him a difficult player to trade.
A team will not want to trade anything of value for a player that may be only a rental for a couple of months. So the Bucks can continue shopping Monroe, but he is a difficult player to trade. Keeping him in the bench unit may be the best route for the Bucks right now.
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The money he earns isn’t usually what a bench player makes, but he is making the most of the situation that he is in.