Ancillary Impact of the Bucks Trading Greg Monroe
Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Greg Monroe led the Milwaukee Bucks in points (season-high 29) and rebounds (12) in their 112-111 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. This despite rumblings that the Bucks are willing to move their offseason, high-profile free agent signing.
Regardless of the on-the-court impact a trade would create, dealing Monroe would harm the Bucks down the road in far more ways than just scoring and boards.
Milwaukee has always had trouble convincing big name free agents to join one of the NBA's smallest and "boring" markets, according to many players. The cold weather, lack of nightlife, and few winning seasons all play against a franchise that once consistently competed at a high level.
For once, last offseason, Milwaukee defied logic and out-did Los Angeles and New York to land one of the more coveted free agents in the league in Monroe. Coming off a 41-41 season and a playoff berth, it looked like a terrific move to push the young Bucks forward this season.
What does that say if you fight to bring in a big name free agent - to a place where talented ball players generally avoid - then trade him elsewhere less than a year into his contract?
With a 21-32 mark - 13th out of 15 Eastern Conference teams - things haven't quite worked out the way it was planned. From that end, I get it.
Monroe has been solid throughout (minus some defensive issues), averaging 16.5 points and 9.6 rebounds entering Tuesday. It just hasn't translated to victories.
Hence, some people feel it would be best to ship Monroe off and acquire additional draft picks or younger players to continue the building project in Milwaukee. Essentially, they'd be punting on the 2015-16 season for greater potential the next few years.
The problem is, a trigger-happy deal of their newest piece would certainly send negative ripples across the league, giving Milwaukee another black mark on the checklist of reasons NOT to play there.
Aside from the fact that it looks like a panic move in the middle of a longer process, when a player chooses to spend most of his time in a new city, it's rather disconcerting to feel like they might ship you off to a place you have no interest in going to.
In a way, it's a broken trust...as much as that can exist in professional sports today.
Some may say it's a stretch to believe such a move would have this type of ancillary effect, but stereotypes are hard to dispel, and this would just add another unnecessary layer to the idea that Milwaukee is no place to go.
The only way it could work without harming Milwaukee's reputation further would be if Monroe came out after the fact to thank the Bucks organization for working with him to find a quality fit, and that he was 100% on board with the decision.
Of course, this all depends on who or what comes back to the Bucks, as then you need to balance the positives of what is acquired versus the negative perception it will create.
It's all probably moot since a trade is still unlikely; however, it's something GM John Hammond and coach Jason Kidd need to weigh as they look to truly compete the next handful of years.
An uphill climb already exists in trying to attract top talent - you don't want to make it a tougher ascent by creating another slippery slope.