By Charles F. Gardner/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to terms on a maximum contract with free-agent center Greg Monroe, a league source indicated Thursday.
The deal will be worth an estimated $50 million over three years, with the third year a player option, the source said.
The Bucks will be able to sign Monroe with available cap space and will sign Khris Middleton over the cap using Larry Bird rights, which allow teams to exceed the cap to re-sign their own free agents. The Bucks agreed with Middleton Wednesday on a five-year, $70 million deal.
The Bucks beat out bids from the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers to land Monroe, a 6-foot-11 center who averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds last season for Detroit.
In his five seasons with the Pistons, Monroe averaged 14.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Georgetown.
Monroe, 25, gives the Bucks a legitimate low-post scoring threat to go alongside 20-year-olds Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the front court. The backcourt is set with shooting guard Middleton, 23, and point guard Michael Carter-Williams, also 23.
Monroe became expendable in Detroit when coach and executive Stan Van Gundy decided to break up the tandem of Monroe and Andre Drummond. Van Gundy opted for a stretch 4 approach, getting power forward Ersan Ilyasova in a trade with the Bucks.
Milwaukee now has used some of the extra cap space it received in the Ilyasova deal (about $8 million) to help land Monroe and backup point guard Greivis Vasquez, acquired in a trade with Toronto on draft night.
Monroe should fit in with the Bucks structure and his defensive liabilities can be covered with the length and athleticism of the young players on the roster. He is a left-handed shooter with a deft touch around the basket and also is a decent free-throw shooter, averaging nearly 70 percent from the line in his career and 75 percent last season.
Monroe’s deal will average $16.6 million, surpassing the average (but not the length or total dollars) of Middleton’s contract.
The shorter term of the contract could be good for both sides, with Monroe able to be a free agent again after two seasons and the Bucks not locked into a long-term contract. Some NBA players are opting for shorter deals during this free-agent cycle due to the larger contracts anticipated when the league’s new TV deal kicks in for the 2016-17 season.
Monroe is represented by agent David Falk.
In an interview with CBSSports, Falk said all four teams offered maximum contacts but Monroe chose the Bucks because they offered the best chance “to make the playoffs immediately.”
Monroe has never made the playoffs in his five seasons with the Pistons.
He also was swayed by the presence of Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who led the team to a 26-game improvement last season after being hired by new ownership. Falk said the Bucks coach has a reputation “for making the people around him better, both as a player and as a coach.”
Big money has been flowing in the first two days of free agency with maximum contracts and multiyear deals on the table.
Portland also made a strong pitch for Monroe, hoping to pair him with LaMarcus Aldridge. But Aldridge is the top free agent on the market and is considering max deals from several teams, including Phoenix and San Antonio.
The Knicks and Lakers have struggled to land elite free agents and that trend has continued in the first two days of free agency this summer.
Monroe and Middleton will be able to formally sign their new deals on July 9.
The former Pistons player will be the Bucks’ oldest starter at age 25, but Milwaukee still will have a veteran presence off the bench with backup center Zaza Pachulia, forward Jared Dudley, the 28-year-old Vasquez and guards O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless.
Monroe reportedly was impressed with the Bucks sales pitch, which came after 2 a.m. early in the free-agency period on Wednesday. Monroe’s first meeting was with the New York Knicks before he met with the Bucks.
The Bucks delegation, which met with Monroe in Washington, D.C., included Kidd, general manager John Hammond and one of the team’s owners, Marc Lasry. It also included assistant general manager David Morway and vice president of strategy and operations Alex Lasry.