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Trail Blazers Trade Rumors: Greg Monroe Available

By Steven Dewald

Jan 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) shoots over Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) shoots over Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Trail Blazers Trade Rumors: Greg Monroe is on the market, is Portland an option?

According to HoopsRumors.com, the Milwaukee Bucks have informed the league that both Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams are available for trade. The Trail Blazers have once again popped up as a possible destination for the former Georgetown star. Portland is only a half season removed from offering Monroe a max extension, so he obviously has something that Neil Olshey covets. Apparently the interest is mutual, as Monroe has said that the Trail Blazers were a close second behind the Bucks in his offseason negotiations. The question now is, would Monroe still fit with Portland and at what price?

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It is likely that the Bucks have attached a hefty price tag to Monroe. The Trail Blazers are lacking a clear cut first round pick in this years draft and don’t have any surplus picks in the coming years. Along with the lack of picks, Portland likely doesn’t have the mix of expendable young players that Jason Kidd would desire. Carter-Williams has fallen out of favor and the Trail Blazers lack the ability to supply the Bucks with a viable alternative. That is assuming that Neil Olshey values C.J. McCollum more than Monroe, which seems to be the case.

With McCollum off of the table, what can Olshey offer the Bucks? It isn’t likely that the Bucks would jump at the chance to take a half season rental on Gerald Henderson, or add the aged Chris Kaman to their bench. In the off chance that Milwaukee is interested in Meyers Leonard, it is likely they will wait until the offseason to offer him a contract. Even if Portland added Allen Crabbe to the available asset pile, it is likely that Kidd would pass on that trade. The wing positions are stacked in Milwaukee, leaving little room for Crabbe to crack the rotation.

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The biggest asset the Trail Blazers have is cap space, but the Bucks aren’t desperate for a salary dump. They only have 60 million tied up in contracts going into 2016-17 and most of that money belongs to young players. Without putting major pieces on the table, it is hard to fathom a deal that Milwaukee would find attractive.

Feb 2, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives to the basket on Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and forward Jabari Parker (12) during the third quarter of the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Blazers won 107-95. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives to the basket on Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and forward Jabari Parker (12) during the third quarter of the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Blazers won 107-95. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /

Even if the Trail Blazers could strike a deal with the Bucks, would Monroe fit in with the current roster? Monroe is neither a rim protector or a stretch four. Both of those roles are a relative need for the Portland squad and they would remain a need with Monroe on the roster. To understand this point better I will give an example of a current Portland player compared to Monroe. I will leave the names off until after the comparison. (comparison provided by Basketball-Reference.com)

Player A: 1.1 Blocks Per Game / .509 FG% / Defensive Rating Per 100 Possessions: 104

Player B: 0.9 Blocks Per Game / .521 FG% / Defensive Rating Per 100 Possessions: 106

Player A is Mason Plumlee, Player B is Monroe. After looking at this, it is hard to justify giving up major pieces of Portland’s future to add a player with a similar skill set. Monroe is certainly more capable of creating his own offense in the post, but that role isn’t in demand with the Trail Blazers’ new free flowing offense.

Would Monroe be enough to sacrifice chemistry and future assets? We will find out as the trade deadline inches closer.