Rumors abound that the Milwaukee Bucks could trade big man Greg Monroe to the New Orleans Pelicans for point guard Jrue Holiday as both teams are unhappy about the performances of the two players in the past seasons.
Fansided indicated that the Pelicans had shown interest in dealing for Monroe this summer and that "both sides came relatively close to a deal, but things ultimately did not work out".
According to recent rumors, the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Monroe is still in Milwaukee's trading block, but teams had been hesitant to try and bid for him because of his expensive salary that is due to expire next summer and that traditional big men had almost become relics in this age of small ball basketball.
Monroe is the epitome of a traditional center who likes to play with his back to the basket. What makes him even more risky to acquire is his limited defensive skills. The report noted that if it was "around 15 years ago, Monroe would have been the envy of most teams around the league" because of his strengths in inside scoring and rebounding, but it is a different NBA at this time.
With the Bucks investing almost $40 million on Monroe, Miles Plumlee, John Henson, and rookie Thon Maker in the same position with only 48 minutes a game to share, it looks like trading at least one of them before the new season is the best move for the franchise at this point.
And of the four, Monroe is still the most likely to get dealt because of his evident incompatibility with Milwaukee's young core.
Thus, if the Pelicans are interested in Monroe, then the Bucks should waste no time trying to make a deal for him.
Meanwhile, Basketball Insiders reported that New Orleans "are looking for backcourt depth and considering the long injury history of both Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans", the Pelicans would like to move on from the two players.
With both players also entering the final season in their respective deals, it is clear that at least one of them will not be back to play for the team after next season.
At the moment, Holiday is the better trade piece as he can still be quite productive on the court when he is healthy, averaging 16.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 28.2 minutes per night as a 6-foot-4, 205-pound starting point guard.
Holiday will definitely be an upgrade over Michael Carter-Williams in the starting unit. However, the issue would always be the 26-year-old floor general's health and how many games can he suit up for New Orleans every season moving forward.
