The Knicks and Monroe are apparently bound together.
Detroit Pistons big man Greg Monroe could easily have been playing for a different team right now. Being that the Pistons and Monroe held out on multiple trade offers, Monroe will be one of the high-coveted targets as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As is the case with every talented free agent, the New York Knicks have been referenced as having interest in signing Monroe. The latest from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is that Monroe to the Knicks could be seen as a foregone conclusion:
Maybe the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Phil Jackson plans to pursue Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe in free agency this summer. In fact, one league executive called it “about as close to a done deal as you can get.”
A done deal is illegal of course and would open Jackson and the Knicks to tampering charges. A more likely scenario is that representatives from both parties have made their interest known and will proceed accordingly once the free-agent recruiting period begins on July 1st. It happens all the time. …
It’s easy to connect the dots; Monroe’s agent, David Falk, is one of the few agents that Jackson has a relationship with going back more than 20 years when Falk was representing Michael Jordan. Falk is looking for a max contract for Monroe and the Knicks, coming off the worst season in franchise history, are happy to oblige.
Monroe said that he would be open to re-signing with Detroit, but that outcome seems unlikely. As Isola mentioned, there’s no way for this free agent signing to be any kind of “done deal” just yet, but he did the courtesy of adding some context.
Phil Jackson and the Knicks are knowingly targeting either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns as lottery picks in the NBA Draft. Their ability to land one of the top two picks, where Okafor and Towns are likely to be selected, will be an interesting factor in the Knicks’ pursuing another big man like Monroe. Then again, we know that Jackson’s triangle offense is two-big oriented, even if he’s willing to start going away from it.
This season has been a career-best for Monroe, averaging over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game with the Pistons. Perhaps he’s subconsciously made up his mind that he’ll sign elsewhere this summer. That is certainly possible. But nothing is done until it’s done, and while the idea of Monroe signing with New York should be a welcomed note of progress for Knicks fans, it still has to be executed.
