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NBA Trade Rumors: Greg Monroe To Mavericks, Andrew Bogut And Devin Harris To Bucks

By Adrian Lawhorn
Published on: 10:05 PST, Dec 3, 2016

NBA trade rumors have been mentioning Milwaukee Bucks forward/center Greg Monroe since early in the summer, but talk of Monroe moving on has slowed in recent weeks. ESPN reports that the Bucks have continued to shop him around the league, but the team has yet to find a willing trade partner. Monroe has been relegated to the end of Milwaukee’s bench, while the Bucks remain hopeful that a deal for Monroe is in their future.

According to Sportsrageous, the Dallas Mavericks are one of a small number of teams who may be interested in acquiring Greg Monroe. The article opines that the Mavericks are in need of a big man who can score and rebound, and Monroe has shown that he can do both on a consistent basis. During a five-year stretch from 2011 to 2016, Monroe averaged over 15 points and more than nine rebounds per game, so he is a productive player in that sense.

Dallas is having a disastrous 2016-17 season thus far, currently sitting dead last in the Western Conference with a 3-15 record. The Dallas Morning News reveals that center Andrew Bogut is aware that he is on the trading block, since the Mavericks are going nowhere this season and are looking to deal the big man and his expiring contract before the NBA trade deadline. The story goes on to state that if Bogut is not traded before the deadline, Dallas will allow him to pursue free agency when his contract expires at the end of the current NBA season.

The latest NBA trade rumors are indicating that a deal between the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks could be in the works. The scenario being discussed online would see the Mavericks obtaining Greg Monroe and a future second-round pick from the Bucks. In return, Milwaukee would receive Andrew Bogut and point guard Devin Harris. Let’s take a look at this hypothetical trade proposal and see how plausible it might be for these two teams.

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If this trade goes through, the Dallas Mavericks would simply replace Andrew Bogut with Greg Monroe at center. Bogut and Monroe bring different things to a team, but they are arguably pretty comparable players overall. Monroe is a more effective offensive player in the post and is more of a scoring threat than Bogut. However, Bogut is considered to be one of the best defensive centers in basketball, while Monroe is looked upon as a rather weak defensive player, per ESPN NBA Real Plus-Minus statistics.

Monroe is younger by six years, but he also has two years and $35 million left on his current contract; Bogut is in the final year of his contract (at a more affordable $11 million per season). Greg Monroe is capable of playing power forward, and with superstar Dirk Nowitzki nearing retirement, Monroe could be a potential long-term replacement if the Mavericks chose to go that route. Devin Harris was once a very good player, but he is on the decline and is essentially a throw-in to make the salary cap numbers work — and this would be a legal trade under NBA rules, as confirmed by the ESPN NBA Trade Machine.

The Milwaukee Bucks would be likely to agree to this theoretical offer, in part, because they are having a difficult time moving Greg Monroe and his bloated contract. The team could reacquire Andrew Bogut, who spent the first six years of his NBA career in Milwaukee, and see how well he fits with the current roster and style of play. Alternately, since Bogut’s deal expires after this season, the Bucks could use that money to entice a quality free agent to join them next summer if they choose to let Bogut walk at the end of the year. Either way, this deal would give Milwaukee some options and flexibility that they don’t have as long as they hold onto Greg Monroe.

This selection from the current batch of NBA trade rumors does make some sense for both teams involved. It would be a lateral move for the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks in terms of overall talent, but each team would have solid reasons to consider this rumored trade proposal. This trade scenario appears to be very reasonable for each side, so keep an eye on the Mavericks and Bucks, because this is a transaction that could jump from the rumor mill to the front page of the sports section in the coming weeks.

[Featured Image by Tony Gutierrez/AP Images]

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