With the recent news of big man Greg Monroe coming off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks and Khris Middleton‘s possible six-month absence after a successful surgery to repair a torn left hamstring — the team is looking to move some pieces.
Rumor has it that the Charlotte Hornets could be interested in the 6-foot-11 lefty forward in exchange for Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes.
The Bucks want to compete in the Eastern Conference, as previously stated by ownership — and they're not willing to let an injury to their starting shooting guard keep them from that.
What's in it for the Hornets?
Charlotte would get a very well-rounded post presence that is a double-double threat every night if given ample playing time.
Monroe averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game last season with Milwaukee, but had superior stats in his prior seasons with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a starter.
He played in 79 games and averaged 29.3 minutes per game under head coach Jason Kidd who chose to relegate him to the bench once he saw he wasn't a good fit for his style of offense. The big man shot 52.2% from the field and 74% from the free-throw line.
They're currently playing a natural small forward at the four-spot in Marvin Williams, who could slide up to the three-spot since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is bound to suffer an injury or two like he has for the vast majority of his career.
What's in it for the Bucks?
In terms of value, they're not getting equal returns for Monroe, and they're most likely not going to. Teams are aware that Bucks management and Kidd made a mistake signing a guy before evaluating his fit in the system and they will make them pay dearly for it.
Milwaukee has been silently trying to move Monroe since last season and now, they absolutely need to given the hole Middleton leaves in the roster with his unfortunate injury that will likely sideline him until March.
Lamb is a young shooter with great athletic ability that can play the shooting guard and small forward positions, giving Kidd the luxury to either start him or bring him off the bench at either spots.
Hawes is owed $6.35 million this year and while he could provide some shooting at the center position, it wouldn't make much sense to hold on to him with the recent acquisition of Michael Beasley.
The Bucks will likely ask for a future Hornets pick in addition to Lamb and Hawes if this deal is indeed in the works.
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