According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Phoenix Suns have reached a contract buyout agreement with Greg Monroe.
Two summers ago, the Portland Trail Blazers attempted to sign Greg Monroe. Instead, he agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks, unable to push the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, figured they needed to move for a point guard to compete. A disgruntled Eric Bledsoe provided Milwaukee with the perfect opportunity to fill this hole.
Less than ten games into this season, Greg Monroe was shipped off to Phoenix along with draft picks for Eric Bledsoe.
In the desert, Monroe found little success. While he scored and rebounded well as usual, Suns coach Jay Triano failed to play him regularly.
Because of the frontcourt logjam there, Phoenix agreed to buyout Monroe’s contract.
Greg Monroe is now available to any NBA team in need of an extra big man.
Greg Monroe on the market
Several teams have expressed interest in Monroe already.
Contenders such as the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are both reportedly interested in signing him.
The team most involved with Monroe thus far, however, is the New Orleans Pelicans. With the season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans have a hole to fill at the center position.
New Orleans has already been active this trade season. On attempt No. 2, the Pelicans were able to acquire Nikola Mirotic for draft picks and bench players.
Despite this, they continue to pursue Monroe for two reasons:
First, he was born in New Orleans and has already been in contact with Alvin Gentry. Gentry reportedly discussed the possibility of becoming the starting center with Monroe.
Second, trading for Mirotic still leaves more to be desired for the Pelicans. He provides much needed bench scoring, but the team still needs a new starting center. Anthony Davis likes playing the four better, so he won’t be moved to center and Mirotic to power forward.
Greg Monroe for the Blazers
There are a couple reasons why the Blazers shouldn’t pursue Greg Monroe.
- There’s very little money to go around in Portland – actually none to be exact. Every extra dollar spent this season is straight out of Paul Allen’s wallet.
- The Blazers have plenty of big men. Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu consistently start at PF/C. Ed Davis and Zach Collins fill in for them and have been doing so marvelously (especially you, Ed). In a 20-point blowout last night, Meyers Leonard still didn’t play at all.
- Greg Monroe is not a defensive player. In fact, he’s often compared to Enes Kanter in terms of being a defensive liability. Portland’s defense is top-ten this season due to the big men preventing points in the paint. All Monroe does is unnecessarily change the rotation and hurt the team defense down low.
- The Blazers just achieved their first four-game win streak of the year and have won seven of the last eight. Trade rumors still swirl despite the success, purely with the intent of dumping salary. Picking up a player without moving anyone is not beneficial for Portland.
Next: Blazers face very tough opponents in near future
All in all, Greg Monroe to Portland doesn’t work on the court and on the tax sheet. If the Blazers decide to make a move before the trade deadline, salaries need to be offloaded. But with the team’s current form, is a trade necessary?
Additionally, enough teams have expressed interest in Monroe that he won’t be a cheap pickup. The interested parties, especially New Orleans, need him far more than the Blazers and will therefore be willing to pay more.