NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Dion Waiters, Possible Greg Monroe Trade
Forget LeBron James and Stephen Curry. This time of year, players like Dion Waiters and Greg Monroe are the ones dominating NBA news.
As the offseason trudges on, rumors have emerged regarding the respective 24-year-old and 26-year-old.
Could they be wearing different uniforms next season? For Waiters, that's almost definite. Monroe's situation is only slightly less clear.
Check out the latest on both below.
Dion Waiters
With Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka gone, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now left with just their Big Two (note the sarcasm).
Not so fast.
Last Monday, OKC rescinded its qualifying offer to Waiters, which allowed him to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent, per The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Thunder took back the $6.7 million offer, per Woj, in an effort to create space for a Russell Westbrook extension.
Here's a reminder of Turner Sports Analyst David Aldridge’s report from early July:
ESPN’s Marc Stein reported this week that the Brooklyn Nets are still cool on the idea of signing "Kobe Wade" despite meeting with him previously:
Matt Borcas of The Ringer recently wondered why Waiters has yet to be signed. After all, from the start of the playoffs to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the former Syracuse star averaged 9.5 points while shooting 42.6 percent from deep.
Perhaps teams are waiting to see what happens with J.R. Smith and the Cleveland Cavaliers before looking into Waiters. That’s wise.
But isn’t it odd that we’ve heard virtually nothing positive about Waiters signing somewhere?
His reputation as a wild man, exaggerated as it can be at times, has clearly hurt Waiters this offseason. While Brooklyn appears to be holding off—for now, at least—some team will likely land Waiters at a bargain price.
If he’s used as a complementary player, not a featured one, Waiters is likely to pay dividends down the line.
Greg Monroe
Last summer, Monroe landed a max contract after several teams chased him.
Now? The Milwaukee Bucks appear to be in a hurry to send him elsewhere, according to Stein.
Granted, Monroe was expected to do more in Milwaukee. But his offensive numbers were largely similar to the ones that landed him that big-time payday.
He went from 15.9 points in 2014-15 to 15.3, from 10.2 rebounds to 8.8, from 2.1 assists to 2.3 and from 2.2 turnovers to 1.6. Monroe’s offense was fine. It's his defense that's put him on the trade block. Per Basketball-Reference.com, opponents had a better offensive rating against the Bucks with the 6'11" big fella on the floor.
Still, reporter Sam Amico said the New York Knicks—the first team to meet with Monroe last summer—are interested in his services.
According to Amico, "The Knicks would likely need a third team to help facilitate a trade for Monroe and more likely would need to wait until at least December, sources said."
If the Knicks are dead set on playing Kristaps Porzingis at power forward, adding a center behind Joakim Noah is a must. But Monroe is due $17 million in each of the next two seasons, per Spotrac—a hefty price for a backup.
Still, Monroe is a player team president Phil Jackson clearly had (and possibly has) an affinity for. New head coach Jeff Hornacek’s input would likely play a major role, as would the team’s success when the 2016 trade deadline nears.
The big money makes this trade improbable, but you can’t ignore the recent history between New York and Monroe. The latest rumor simply adds to it.
