Milwaukee Bucks big man Greg Monroe is not going anywhere before Thursday's trade deadline, according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt:
Teams have placed calls to the Bucks to see if they can acquire Monroe, who is in his first year with the team. But those conversations didn’t advance, and one person said with emphasis there is zero chance Monroe is traded.
Monroe signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the Bucks in July, and he has a player option on that third season. Both sides knew there was a chance this would not work out, and agreed to a short-term deal. Still, it was a bit surprising to hear his name in trade rumors so quickly.
Through 54 games, Milwaukee's Monroe experiment hasn't worked particularly well. He's putting up the same kind of numbers he always has -- 16.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 52-percent shooting -- but the team is 22-32 and the Bucks aren't the same long, athletic, defensive-minded team they were last year. If Milwaukee was offered a deal that would help it rediscover its identity, perhaps a move would make sense.
Evidently, there aren't a lot of teams out there chasing a throwback post player. Given how the season has gone for the Bucks, Monroe's value isn't at its highest. Maybe the best plan is to try to improve the team on the margins now, then see where things stand in the summer.
