Greg Monroe agrees to buyout with Suns, and the Celtics are interested, per report

Greg Monroe and the Phoenix Suns have reached a buyout for the final year left on his contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which makes him a free agent and eligible to sign with any team in the league. Monroe was owed $17.8 million this season.

The Boston Celtics are one team that immediately has interest in the 27-year-old big man, per Wojnarowski.

Monroe had ended up in Phoenix when the Milwaukee Bucks traded him in a deal for Eric Bledsoe. He had played 20 games for the Suns, averaging 11.3 points and eight rebounds on 63 percent shooting, a good reminder of his skills after failing to crack Milwaukee’s rotation this year.

As the NBA quickly modernized over the past few seasons, Monroe is one of the victims. In Detroit, Monroe was averaging double-doubles while starting and playing 30 minutes per night. His play earned him a three-year, $52 million contract from Milwaukee in 2015, but he was benched by the second year — though he did still play 81 games off the bench, averaging about 23 minutes per game.

Monroe is still useful, though, as an elite scorer around the rim and strong rebounding presence. He tries defensively, even if the results aren’t always there, and could be a great addition for a contending team off the bench.

Boston seems like a good guess, even beyond the reported interest. The Celtics are the best team — at least record-wise — in the Eastern Conference, and they could immediately fit him into a bench role that is currently filled by players like Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye. Monroe’s better than them, at least for this season! The Celtics can also use an $8.4 million disabled player exception, earned from the Gordon Hayward situation on opening night, which will likely trump any other offers.

Another team that might make sense would be the New Orleans Pelicans, who just lost DeMarcus Cousins for the season and might be able to promise him a starting role. Monroe isn’t an ideal fit — clearly, the drop-off from Boogie to him is massive — but the talks for Nikola Mirotic seems dead, and the Pelicans are clearly interested in doing something. Also, Monroe grew up just outside New Orleans. What if he wants to come home?

It’s possible the Rockets would want another insurance big man, but they likely couldn’t promise him minutes over Nene when healthy. Likewise, Golden State already has a glut of big men, even if they were interested in Monroe. San Antonio might be a slightly better fit in a role similar to David Lee’s last season.

One team we can definitively rule out: Milwaukee. Even if the Bucks were interested in bringing the big man back, they can’t sign him for one full year after trading him.