Boston Celtics Instant Analysis: Greg Monroe a solid pickup for Celtics’ bench
Greg Monroe is now a Celtic
Greg Monroe, who recently completed his buyout with the Phoenix Suns, has agreed to a role with the Boston Celtics, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal will be for $5 million of the Designated Player Exception (DPE) that the Celtics were able to get from Gordon Hayward‘s injury earlier in the year.
After much deliberation, Boston decided that Monroe would be worth the money and the big boost he will bring to the team offensively coming off the bench alongside surging guard Terry Rozier.
The Celtics, who offered more money at the expense of less playing time, were able to convince the former Sun to jump ship with the opportunity for a championship run.
Monroe will sign a one-year, $5M deal with Celtics, league sources tell ESPN. Pelicans could only offer $2.2M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2018
Why it works for Boston
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For the Celtics, this was a wonderful pickup for a number of different reasons. Although Monroe is not a very polished defensive player, he does boast an impressive offensive skillset in the post.
Monroe will be able to pick on other teams’ second units with his offensive prowess, while also being tasked with getting rebounds and defending the basket while Al Horford is off the floor.
He will also occasionally be inserted into the starting lineup in games where the Celtics feel they need to go big, giving the team some great flexibility with matchups.
Another big thing that Monroe will bring to the Celtics won’t be evident right away: A scoring option during the playoffs.
Boston is a playoff bound team, and once the game begins to slow down Monroe should be a great asset for a lackluster offense when Irving is off the floor.
So What’s Next?
The Celtics’ acquisition of Monroe essentially used up the majority of the DPE they got from Hayward. This, however, does not mean they are out of options when it comes to acquiring players before the deadline.
We have headlined three low end trade targets the Celtics should consider, including Tyreke Evans.
While acquiring Evans will be tough without forking over a first round pick, the Celtics could potentially make it happen by offering a solid player instead. A guy like Marcus Smart would make things interesting in a potential trade.
Keep hearing that Memphis is trying to hold out for a first round pick for Tyreke Evans, but Celtics apparently unwilling to fork one over... It'll be interesting to see if anyone does. Also wonder how Celts weigh offensive gain of Evans vs defensive questions.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) February 1, 2018
A backcourt of Mike Conley alongside Smart would be a formidable duo for Memphis, and Marc Gasol would be able to acclimate himself to Smart before Conley gets back to full strength.
Conclusion
The Celtics got some much needed offensive power with Monroe’s signing. They got a quality veteran looking to win now, and did so without giving up any quality players in return. Time will tell if Monroe’s signing was a key acquisition for these surging Celtics.