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NBA Trade Rumors: Greg Monroe And Jabari Parker To Lakers, D’Angelo Russell To Bucks

Published on: September 25, 2016 at 10:27 PM
By Adrian Lawhorn

NBA trade rumors continue to surround a Lakers team that is beginning a new era in 2016-17. A fresh rumor being discussed online suggests that Los Angeles and the Milwaukee Bucks are kicking the tires on a two-for-one swap of quality talent.

According to the website, NBA Trade Rumors , a trade scenario could be developing that would have the Los Angeles Lakers sending point guard D’Angelo Russell to Milwaukee in exchange for center Greg Monroe and power forward Jabari Parker.

When it comes to currently-circulating NBA trade rumors, some are intriguing and very possible, while others can quickly be shot down. This rumor is one of the latter kind, since this trade would not be allowed under NBA trade and salary cap restrictions. In fact, it is not even close in terms of salary match — Monroe and Parker are scheduled to make a combined $22.5 million next season, while Russell is entering the second year of a rookie contract that will pay him $5.3 million this upcoming season.

If it is true that the Lakers and Bucks are talking, a deal that could be on the table would be a straight swap of Jabari Parker and D’Angelo Russell. If Monroe were to be included in a trade between these two clubs, there is no one on Los Angeles’ roster that could be added to the offer to make this work for both Monroe and Parker. The original report is inaccurate as far as the exact structure of the trade, but perhaps there is some truth to the rumor that there is ongoing communication between the Lakers and Milwaukee regarding a possible deal.

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Even if the rumored deal is restructured to make it legal, there are further problems with this scenario that is making the internet rounds. The Los Angeles Lakers already have a young talent on their team at power forward (Julius Randle). There would be no reason for the Lakers to give up D’Angelo Russell to acquire Jabari Parker, as Parker would be redundant in this case.

If Los Angeles does decide to move Russell at some point, they could do so without getting a point guard in return. Jose Calderon and Jordan Clarkson would be a nice duo to man that position, but the team probably won’t seriously consider trading Russell unless his feud with teammate Nick “Swaggy P” Young becomes a major distraction. The details of Young and Russell’s standoff were captured in a piece published by USA Today earlier this year.

This particular NBA trade rumor can’t happen per league rules, nor does it make any sense from a basketball standpoint. However, it does give us a chance to discuss the players who were mentioned since they are all significant to their teams, and to the NBA in general.

Greg Monroe was the seventh player taken in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Georgetown. Monroe comes from a long line of big men who have played for the Hoyas, and he has had a very solid NBA career to this point. Monroe’s production has been very consistent since his rookie season, averaging about 15 points and 10 rebounds per game over that span. Monroe is a classic post-up center, which in today’s fast-paced NBA will only work well on certain teams. The Bucks want to play up-tempo basketball, thus the persistent rumors that Milwaukee wants to unload Monroe.

D’Angelo Russell was chosen No. 2 overall by the Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft, and while his rookie season was up-and-down, he has shown flashes of star potential. Russell posted per-game averages of 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for Los Angeles in 2015-16, but the young point guard struggled with shooting, turnovers, and lack of maturity during his rookie campaign. The Lakers would like to see what they truly have in Russell before considering a trade, but if he doesn’t continue to grow as a person and as a player, Los Angeles could look to move him.

Chandler Parsons #25 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against Greg Monroe #15, Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 and Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks. [Image by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]

Jabari Parker, like Russell, was a second overall draft pick (2014). The 21-year-old Parker hasn’t quite lived up to his vast potential after two NBA seasons, but he is making progress in that regard. This past season, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. Jabari Parker will likely be the Bucks’ starter at small forward in 2016-17 as the team attempts to play at a faster pace and improve upon last year’s 33-49 regular season record.

Current NBA trade rumors are hinting at a possible deal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. This trade scenario is easily debunked, but that doesn’t mean both teams aren’t trying to tweak their rosters before training camp begins. Do you think the Lakers or the Bucks will make a deal before the 2016-17 regular season gets underway?

[Featured Image by Danny Moloshok/AP Images]

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