The Greg Monroe–Jason Kidd saga continues this offseason. Only a summer removed from acquiring the big man, word is the Milwaukee Bucks are still trying to trade him.
Monroe was signed to a lucrative three-year, $51.4 million contract to join the Bucks last year when he became a free agent after five years with the Detroit Pistons.
The Georgetown product never got into a groove in Milwaukee as Kidd, the head coach, decided to go with a guard-heavy offense instead of feeding his big-time signing.
While it's unclear whether Kidd was one of the proponents in acquiring Monroe, it was surely evident that he wasn't fitting into the young coach's plans.
Jabari Parker‘s return from injury complicated things even more, as Monroe was forced to slide to the center position, having played his whole career as a power forward.
The move to center brought to light his shot-blocking deficiencies and Kidd soon moved Monroe to a bench role with the excuse of needing extra bench-scoring to stay in games.
The Louisiana native's numbers took a slight dip, attempting one fewer free-throw and snatching 1.4 rebounds fewer in less than 30 minutes per game.
Monroe's averages of 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists with nearly a steal and a block per game were good enough to seek out a possible trade, yet the phones stayed silent this offseason.
Despite the turmoil, Monroe's agent, David Falk, insists his client is still a Buck.
“There’s been a lot of speculation, but that’s part and parcel for the NBA,’’ Falk told Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. “You always have rumors and one percent of them come true. Greg is a very mature guy, a very professional guy. He has never asked to be traded on any team.’’
Despite all the obvious signs, Falk hammered home that his client plans to stay with the team regardless of the hearsay.
“Greg expects to be in training camp with the Bucks,” Falk said. “He’s looking to have a great season for the Bucks. If anything changes, we’ll deal with it at that time. He wants to accomplish what they didn’t accomplish this year: making the playoffs. We are trying to make this work. Whether it will happen, I don’t know. But we’re going to try.:
If Monroe is indeed moved at any point before the All-Star break, he could help a lot of teams as long as he's given touches.
He's a formidable back-to-the-basket player with excellent footwork and crafty left-handed touch around the rim. While he's not the best one-on-one defender, he's no slouch and will come up with steals and blocks if given consistent playing time, as long as he's played at his position.
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