It is just two more months before the new NBA season kicks off, and you can be sure before now and then, there will be plenty more trade rumors which will circulate. Some names that have been thrown around include starting point guard D'Angelo Russell who is said to be headed to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Greg Monroe and Jabari Parker might be headed in the opposite direction.
This is one rumor that has started to pick up steam before the new NBA season begins. The big question is, will such a trade be possible? As it looks as the moment, there is no solid ground for such a trade to be possible, but in the world of sports, far stranger things have happened.
Why do many people think that such a trade is highly improbable? This can be attributed simply to dollars and sense. The NBA trading and salary cap restrictions which are in place will certainly throw a spanner in the works. Greg Monroe alongside Jabari Parker’s combined salary would amount to $22.5 million for the upcoming 2016 to 2017 season, whereas in the opposite direction, Russell is set to pick up $5.3 million in the season ahead as he was still in his second stint as a rookie. Mathematically speaking, it will not add up at all, unless there is a massive pay cut or raise in either direction. Definitely no player worth his salt would want to bring home less dough, and I have yet to see someone refuse a pay raise to date.
There are some similarities between Jabari Parker and D'Angelo Russell, since Jabari Parker himself was also a second overall draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. With Jabari Parker being a mere 21 years old at the moment, he is definitely doing his bit to capture the attention of the masses while he is on court. While many would say that this is impossible, as long as the season does not begin, we cannot close the door just yet.
Many people have already resonated that the Lakers would not trade a player who is so important to them for another two players in positions that have already been more or less set in stone. Apart from that, the Milwaukee Bucks have already made a point to just about everyone that their core group of players that will keep the team engine moving forward in years to come would comprise of Jabari Parker, Giannis, and Middleton. Many would think that Giannis is untouchable (although such a superlative term should be carefully bandied about in a team game where no one bright talent is indispensable), with Middleton and Parker fluorishing beside him.
There does seem to be strength in depth for the Milwaukee Bucks with an embarrassment of riches where the center is concerned. We will simply need to wait until November when the new NBA season begins.
