There is a lot of buzz lately regarding which players in the NBA are being traded off in time for next year. Among them being Greg Monroe and Klay Thompson.
As told by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is a chance that the Phoenix Suns will explore the possibility of a trade after they got Monroe from a trade that resulted in Eric Bledsoe to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. He then added that there is a slim chance that Monroe will remain with the Suns until the end of the season especially since the NBA player is on an expiring deal.
It should also be noted that Monroe does not quite fit in with the frontcourt lineup of the Suns that has Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Alex Len, Tyson Chandler, and Jared Dudley.
As per the official press release, it revealed that the first round pick for Milwaukee will "convey to the Suns in 2018" if it falls between 11 to 16 overall, between 4 to 16 in 2019, between 8 to 30 in 2020, leaving 2021 unprotected if the pick has not yet been conveyed. The Suns will instead get the Bucks' second round pick in 2018 if it falls between 48 to 60 overall.
With this in mind, Monroe becomes another asset that could potentially help the Suns get more draft considerations in time for the trade deadline on Feb. 8, 2018.
As for Thompson, the Golden State Warriors shooting guard has long been involved in numerous NBA rumors for the past months now. It seems that the latest is the speculation that he could choose to become a free agent instead of remaining in Golden State.
The Warriors' commitment to Thompson will certainly be tested come the 2019 offseason, because the latter will become a free agent by that time. Knowing his current performance, it seems only fitting that Thompson's salary be raised much like his teammate Stephen Curry. But giving him a raise also has its downside. Should the Warriors decide to give him a big pay rise, it would put the team neck-deep in salary taxes.
For now, the Warriors are focused on defending their titles as NBA Champions. However, when the 2018 offseason begins, they will need to make a decision regarding Thompson's future in the team.
