NBA trade rumors abound that the New York Knicks could pursue Greg Monroe next season as the team realizes its need for more offense in its second unit. Newly-acquired center Joakim Noah is rumored to be the trade piece to be offered to the Milwaukee Bucks for their out-of-place big man.
The 26-year-old former Georgetown standout had been the subject of trade rumors since the end of last season as he did not meet the expectations of the Bucks when they signed him last summer.
Monroe was seen as the remaining missing piece that will finally propel head coach Jason Kidd's squad deeper into the postseason, which they spent last season losing in the first round to the Chicago Bulls.
Instead, Milwaukee looked lost whenever the 6-foot-11 hulking big man is on the floor, especially on defense, and they ended up getting eliminated from the playoffs with a 33-49 record.
Sports Blog's All About Knicks indicated that Milwaukee has been "trying to trade him since the trade deadline because he did not fit in their starting lineup", which was an obvious observation. Monroe's incompatibility with the rest of the Bucks' young core was evident last season and so trade rumors involving him are not surprising.
CBS Sports' Matt Moore reported that the Knicks could once again go after Monroe this summer. The report mentioned that New York is one of the teams that tried to sign Monroe last summer together with the Los Angeles Lakers and Bucks.
Moore also said that the Knicks' new big man Joakim Noah may be used to swap for Monroe, although it may have to be done on or before December 14, the deadline set that newly-signed free agents can already be traded.
However, the biggest stumbling block to any potential trade involving Monroe is his salary. He was signed to a three-year, $51.4 million deal by the Bucks in July of last year, which is set to earn him more than $17 million in the next two seasons.
The question now is whether the Knicks are ready to pay $17 million a year for someone who will come off the bench to provide some second unit scoring? Although it remains to be seen whether Noah will be able to remain in the starting lineup for the duration of this coming season or whether he can stay healthy enough to be traded in mid-December.
