Recent trade rumors are out that the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to add a "proven" shooting guard to their fold and could offer Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams to achieve their goal.
The rumors came in the wake of starting shooting guard Khris Middleton's freak injury while training. Middleton, arguably the team's best all-around player last season, was reportedly driving hard to the basket during a team scrimmage when "he slipped on an apparent wet spot and crumbled to the floor", according to the Racine Journal Times.
Upon diagnosis, it was known that the 25-year-old four-year pro tore his left hamstring "completely off the bone", which would require surgery to repair and at least six months to heal.
This means that Middleton will not be able to suit up for the Bucks at least until March, forcing the team to press the panic button and look for a potential replacement.
In their search for what is reported as a "proven shooting guard via a trade", the Bucks are rumored to be willing to give up center Monroe and point guard Carter-Williams. Speculations abound that the two players are now deemed expendable by head coach Jason Kidd because of their incompatibility with the system and the team's young core.
Fansided said that it is "no secret" that Monroe "has been on the trade block for quite some time", but teams had been hesitant to bid for him because of his infamous flaws on the defensive end.
Also, Monroe is more of a traditional back-to-the-basket big man that thrives with the ball on the post, something that is no longer favored in today's NBA that gives much more weight on speed, spacing, and outside shooting.
Meanwhile, the summer acquisition of Matthew Dellavedova from the Cleveland Cavaliers may have made Carter-Williams lose his starting point guard role.
Kidd had confirmed that Carter-Williams will be coming off the bench at the moment, as well as Monroe. Both players were starters last season when the Bucks failed to return to the playoffs after losing in the first round to the Chicago Bulls in the previous year.
The report noted that the Bucks will have a difficult time finding a suitable replacement for Middleton because aside from not being a "type of player that you can just replace", their trade assets of Monroe and Carter-Williams are not that popular among NBA teams these days.
