Come July, Detroit Pistons big man Greg Monroe will be an unrestricted free agent. With that anticipation in mind, Monroe is an early target for teams like the Knicks and Celtics.
At one point, Monroe said that the Pistons would hold the upper hand to sign him in free agency. Detroit has already started making changes to their roster, trading for Ersan Ilyasova earlier this month and are reportedly looking into acquiring Tim Hardaway, Jr. from the Knicks via trade. When it comes to Monroe, Pistons president and head coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t confident that he’ll be re-signing with the team this summer.
(via Associated Press):
Stan Van Gundy concedes the Detroit Pistons are “not entirely optimistic” about bringing Greg Monroe back this offseason.
Van Gundy, Detroit’s coach and team president, says the door isn’t closed, but Monroe can test the open market this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
An alleged Monroe to the Knicks deal was said to be a foregone conclusion, but Monroe since wisely denied that report. There’s not much evidence at all to indicate that the Pistons don’t want Monroe to stay, or that Monroe is anxious to leave, but the thinking is that he’ll be moving on to the next stage of his career after five years in Detroit. Monroe kept his options open by signing a qualifying offer last year instead of a long-term deal as a restricted free agent.
With the Pistons seeking out more shooters, Van Gundy seems to be preparing for Monroe’s departure by loading up with floor spacers around the centerpiece of Andre Drummond, much like he had in Orlando with Dwight Howard. If Van Gundy’s instincts are correct, we’ll be seeing Monroe in a different uniform for the first time next season.
