Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye Could Move To Suns For Greg Monroe In Suggested Deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to be in the midst of confounding trade rumors as the NBA’s trade deadline slowly approaches. Cleveland has lost two straight games, and 10 of their last 14, as their problems on and off the court continue.

It is evident that there is no single deal that could fix all of the Cavs issues, and so a lot of analysts and reporters have suggested different trade scenarios that the team might try in order to salvage a broken season.

Two Cavaliers players have consistently been mentioned in the latest trade speculations, and they are shooting guard Iman Shumpert and center/power forward Channing Frye. The most recent proposal was a deal with the Phoenix Suns for veteran center Greg Monroe.

Lucas Johnson of FanSided’s Valley of the Suns blog proposed that Phoenix could offer Monroe to the Cavs for Shumpert, Frye, and a 2023 second-round draft pick.

Monroe, 27, used to be one of the most sought-after big men in the league when traditional centers were still the craze. Several big-market teams, including the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, have tried to acquire the former Georgetown standout in free-agency before, but he chose to go the lower-profile rout by signing a three-year, $51.4 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in the summer of 2015.

However, Monroe’s career has nosedived since then as a new breed of “stretch fives” have invaded the league. The New Orleans native had become a trade asset, as he was moved to the Suns in November of last year for Eric Bledsoe and a couple of future draft picks. His contract is set to expire this summer.

It is not all downhill, though. Despite a huge decrease in playing time from previous seasons, Monroe is still able to average double-digits in scoring with 10.5 points in only 21.8 minutes per game this season. Also, his rebounding remained decent with 7.6 boards a night.

Johnson said that getting Monroe would “help appease LeBron James” as the 6-foot-11, 265-pound center is considered as a “good scorer, rebounder, and passer” for a big man. He currently averages 2.2 assists per game.

Meanwhile, the Suns get a suitable perimeter defender in Shumpert, while Frye is expected to be bought out soon. For Phoenix, the valuable part of the trade is the future draft pick, which the team could use to continue their rebuild.