NBA trade rumors: 5 trade destinations for Greg Monroe
By John Buhler
West. Southwest. Houston Rockets. 2. player. 169.
The Houston Rockets will enter 2016 NBA free agency looking to acquire talent that could fit into new head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense and defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik’s defensive scheme. Given that D’Antoni doesn’t get along with soon-to-be free agent Rockets center Dwight Howard, Houston has to find a player that can account for the loss of Howard.
One player that provides a similar skill set to Howard’s is the Bucks’ Monroe. Monroe is a more gifted offensive player than Howard, is several years younger than the former No. 1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft, and still can hold his own as a primary rim protector on defense.
Monroe could be the center Rockets star shooting guard James Harden would need to bring a championship back to Clutch City. It’d be like getting a younger version of Howard without all the tension headaches.
Do the Rockets have the assets to pull of a trade for Monroe? A sign-and-trade with Howard to Milwaukee could theoretically work, but would Howard want to play for the Bucks is the bigger question. Houston would have to get creative to land Monroe with few assets outside of Clint Capela and Donatas Motiejunas, but the Bucks center to the Rockets feels like a great landing spot for Monroe.
Next: 1. New Orleans Pelicans.