NBA Trade Prospects: Should the Lakers Pursue Greg Monroe?
By Eric Yee
The Bucks are open to trading Greg Monroe, but should the Lakers pursue the Milwaukee big man?
On top of the news that the Milwaukee Bucks are open to trading Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams, recent reports have also surfaced that Monroe has one of the hardest contracts to trade.
From a business perspective, this could actually be good news for the Lakers, who may be able to buy low if they were to pursue the 25 year old center. The Los Angeles Lakers were high on Greg Monroe this past off season but would a trade for him at the deadline make sense?
Upon signing Monroe in the off season, the Bucks were sold on the idea that a young core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams, all under the age of 25, would be able to thrive, but the fact that they’ve put Monroe and MCW on the block shows that they’re not pleased with their current 20-32 record.
Despite the fact that his minutes are down from last season, Monroe is scoring nearly a point more, racking up comparable rebounding numbers to last season and posting a career high PER of 23.0.
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Monroe is on contract for two more seasons after this year, the last year being a Player Option, for a grand total of $50 million. Looking down the Lakers’ roster, LA would likely have to include Roy Hibbert in a trade to make the contracts match up but it would actually make sense.
RealGM cites, lack of defensive prowess as the reason for the Bucks’ decision to listen to offers for Monroe, an area in which Hibbert may be able to help.
The Lakers also have plenty of young assets to throw into the deal to make it sweeter for the Bucks.
To make the contracts work, the Bucks would have to include additional players but a possible trade could center around the following players:
Why It Makes Sense for Milwuakee
Substituting Hibbert or John Henson into the starting line up immediately bolsters the Bucks’ defense which seems to be their main qualm with Monroe. Further, more minutes for Henson could be just what he needs to take his game to the next level.
Moving Monroe’s three year contract for Hibbert’s expiring one would not only give Milwaukee a chance to give Hibbert a try out then also the option to move on from him next season, but also clear cap space for the pending free agency period.
More defense leads to more offense which is where a guy like Lou Williams or Nick Young could come into play off the bench.
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On Milwaukee, Williams would be able to slide back into a sixth man role, a position he found tremendous success in prior to coming to the Lakers.
By doing so, he would provide a much needed scoring option off the pine, especially when you consider the injuries to Greivis Vasquez and OJ Mayo.
Tarik Black would provide added incentive seeing that he’s a young asset with a terrific motor, who could fit into the Bucks’ long term plans: to become a defensive, switch heavy, fast break reliant juggernaut.
Why It Makes Sense for LA
For the Lakers, the possibility of landing Monroe is intriguing for many reasons: the first being that he is a versatile center who’s a handful on the offensive glass, the second being that he would immediately provide interior scoring from the five position that the Lakers have desperately lacked in recent years.
Paired with sophomore, Julius Randle, who has demonstrated his rebounding dominance in recent contests, they’d be an interesting front court duo. Randle’s improving midrange game would also be complimented by Monroe’s underrated passing ability.
However, this only compounds the Lakers defensive issues, but that’s the least of their problems at this point in time.
With the right coach and defensive scheme, nearly any player can thrive in the NBA, especially when you have young athletes who can cover ground quickly, something the Lakers actually have for a change. Further, Monroe’s defensive ineffectiveness seems to stem from lack of effort more so than anything else.
More over, with recent reports that a Phil Jackson-Lakers reunion could be in the works, considering how high Jackson was on Monroe last off season, a trade for Monroe could be a friendly, subtle welcome home gesture to the Zen Master.
Next: Phil Jackson and Luke Walton Reunited in LA?
Similar to the Bucks, the Lakers current roster just isn’t cutting it, so a shake up may be what both teams need to get out of their respective slumps. However, if the Bucks or Lakers see it like this we’ll just have to wait and see.