Phoenix Suns trade rumors: 5 potential Greg Monroe trades
After dealing away Eric Bledsoe on Tuesday, the latest Phoenix Suns trade rumors revolve around Greg Monroe and potential options for a salary dump.
Phoenix Suns trade rumors finally came to a head Tuesday when the team finally shipped off its disgruntled point guard, but general manager Ryan McDonough isn’t done by any means.
Though the 2017-18 NBA season is less than one month old, the Suns’ 0-3 start — including two losses by at least 42 points and one fired head coach — has McDonough wheeling and dealing like the February trade deadline is already here.
Following Eric Bledsoe‘s infamous “I Dont wanna be here” tweet, Phoenix sent its starting point guard home and started exploring trade options. Without any sort of leverage, the Suns had to settle on a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks that brought back Greg Monroe, an unconventionally protected first round draft pick and a top-47 protected second round pick.
The first-rounder is the main component of the deal, with Monroe serving as salary filler. However, his arrival in Phoenix puts the team in an odd place. He has no role to play in a long-term rebuild, and as an expiring contract, he mostly represents freed up cap space with both Bledsoe and Monroe’s contracts set to come off the books.
However, there’s the question of what McDonough will do with Moose in the meantime. The Suns’ frontcourt already includes Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Jared Dudley at the 4, while Alex Len and Tyson Chandler man the 5-spot. Even with Monroe’s ability to play either position, the Suns need to allocate ample time to the developing Chriss, Bender and Len, that latter of which will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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That leaves very few minutes for Monroe, even if his scoring and passing off the bench — 11.7 points and 2.3 assists per game on 53.4 percent shooting last year — would provide this team with another scoring threat ease the pressure placed on Devin Booker and T.J. Warren every night.
It’s no surprise, then, that ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting Monroe is unlikely to be on the Suns’ roster past February’s trade deadline, either because he’ll be dealt or have his contract bought out.
A buyout would allow Phoenix to turn Mike James‘ two-way contract into a regular spot on the roster, or put the Suns in the running for Jahlil Okafor, which Woj mentions as a possibility.
However, assuming a buyout solution doesn’t come to fruition, or if the remaining $17.8 million on Monroe’s contract is too pricey for owner Robert Sarver, the Suns’ only hope is trading his expiring deal.
Monroe is still useful for a team looking for frontcourt depth, but matching his hefty salary may be a challenge for the Phoenix Suns. In order to move an expiring bench piece like Monroe, they’ll need to be willing to take on an ugly contract their trade partner doesn’t want. In that scenario, they may be able to snag another young player or future draft pick, essentially netting a sweetener for taking on an ugly contract in exchange for Monroe, who will come off the books this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Basically, the Suns need to wheel and deal the cap space from the Bledsoe trade to another team, helping them create that same future cap room by taking an arrow to the knee on unwanted salary while pocketing what they really want: another asset to add to the pile.
Bearing all this in mind, here’s an extended look at five potential Greg Monroe trades, why Moose will be hard to move and whether those ugly salaries would be worth it compared to just waiting for his deal to expire in 2018.