He’s another big chip to fall during the frenzy that is National Basteball Association free agency. This year featured one of the richest slates of available talent in recent history, as demonstrated by the 10-figure amount already pledged to this year’s class. We break down three teams that made the biggest moves and three teams who have so far missed out.
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So where do they go from here? He’s worth a max contract (which comes with a starting salary of around $16 million) to the right team. The deal includes a player option for the final year.
Dwyane Wade is staying with the Miami Heat for a one-year offer for $20 million.
A winning team on the rise in the Eastern Conference.
The Atlanta Hawks lost their best defensive wing (DeMarre Carroll), and the Washington Wizards lost their most clutch player (Paul Pierce). His addition, combined with a healthy core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozen, and Jonas Valanciunas, should vault the Raptors into at least the second round of the playoffs.
Monroe was impressed with the Bucks’ 26-game improvement under coach Jason Kidd last season after finishing with the league’s worst 15-67 record the previous season.
Middleton averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range previous year to cement himself as a major part of the team’s plans.
Monroe was a solid player at the power forward position for Detroit, averaging 14.3 points and 9.2 rebounds over his career with the organization with a career-high in rebounds during the 2014-15 campaign with 10.2 per contest.
Will the Bucks compete for a title next year?
The Portland Trail Blazers were also in the mix to sign Monroe.
So the busiest free agency in memory continued at a steady pace. First-round draft pick Rashad Vaughn, whom the Bucks expect to grow into an elite shooter, is only 18; backup big man John Henson is 24.
This was the year the Lakers were waiting for.
Then, they can use one of those expiring contracts to help carve out cap space for next summer. Along with a freshly renewed Damian Lillard, their road back to respectability is much clearer than the others, but will take some time to flesh out.
All of this is not to say that the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks will never be relevant again but it does indicate that these two storied franchises in large markets may not have the ability for the “quick fix” they’ve been able to take advantage of in the past.
By landing the highly rated Greg Monroe, Milwaukee signaled that it’s no longer National Basteball Association Siberia.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, power forward Greg Monroe has agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Moreover, it appears West is looking to sign with a title contender like the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs.
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You know what Jackson had to sell Monroe? Aldridge, however, did scheduled a second meeting with team officials late Thursday.
