The Milwaukee Bucks were seen as one of the winners in this past offseason as they signed free agent big man Greg Monroe. However, according to sbnation.com, the Bucks are looking to trade the former Detroit Piston who they signed a 3-year 50 million during free agency.
During the summer, the Bucks lost veterans Jared Dudley and defensive center Zaza Pachulia. Though Monroe is an offensive force, most experts believe that he has become a defensive liability and requires a front court partner that can control the paint defensively.
This has been evident in their statistics as per sportsonearth.com. The team surprised the league with its Playoff push last season. This major improvement could be attributed to the team's improvement on the defensive side.
The Bucks finished second last year in defensive efficiency, behind only the eventual NBA champions Golden State Warriors, allowing 99.3 points per 100 possessions. Now, they are currently 4th to the last in the league.
The team is also looking to trade point guard Michael Carter Williams who head coach Jason Kidd thought would evolve this season but continues to disappoint. One of the teams that was trying to lure Monroe was the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a report by Yahoo! Sports, Monroe's decision to choose the Bucks over big cities like the Los Angeles and New York was based on a basketball decision.
"If I'm in a city where I have to sit inside all day, I'm fine. I like to have fun. I like to do things, but that's not going to ever determine my decision as far as where I play basketball," Monroe said. "I've lived in different places and I was comfortable in all those places."
"Where I was living wasn't the biggest thing for me, so it was definitely, purely a basketball decision. I was looking at where I felt I would have the most success, where I would fit in, help a team and continue to move forward. I definitely feel like I made the right decision."
Experts believe that the Lakers could make a run for Monroe once again via trade. Given the Bucks deficiency in defense, the Lakers could offer defensive center Roy Hibbert and outside shooters Nick Young and Lou Williams for Monroe and Williams.
