The curious case of Greg Monroe continues as the restricted free agent continues to sit around without a deal in place. The Detroit Pistons are at a standstill with their resident big man as both sides cannot determine if their relationship should continue. As the Detroit Pistons still plan on matching any offer placed on Monroe, will he still be a starter in 2014?
Monroe, along with Eric Bledsoe, is the best available player right now and yet he cannot find a team who will place an offer on him that he sees fit. According to Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com is reporting that no team is planning on making an offer on Monroe because they are aware that Detroit will match it no matter what. Most teams would offer Monroe somewhere in the range of $10-$12 million which the Pistons will simply counter and Monroe will not get his wish of playing elsewhere. The center continues to put his foot down on the idea of agreeing to a long-term deal with Detroit, but might have no other option.
If Monroe ends up sticking around, either by way of the one-year qualifying offer or a long-term deal, the Pistons must figure out how to make the relationship between he, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith work both on and off the court. It was reported earlier that Monroe and Smith did not get along in the locker room, playing a part in why the center wanted to head elsewhere.
According to Kyler, there is a growing belief that in order to get all three big men playing well, someone must come off the bench and that could be Smith. New head coach Stan Van Gundy is favoring building the team around Monroe and Drummond while having Smith lead a second unit. Smith is owed $13.5 million in each of the next three seasons. That is not exactly bench player money, but Detroit might have no other option, especially if Monroe sticks around.
Is there a team that will realistically make a move on the center and try and outbid Detroit? The Phoenix Suns have been trying to make it work to re-sign Bledsoe while also acquiring Monroe, but Kyler believes that is not an option. The Suns will make Bledsoe a priority because they are aware that Detroit will match the offer on Monroe. The team does not have the salary cap space to win the center.
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers are both interested in getting a big man on the roster to finalize their moves. They have worked out both Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum according to the Los Angeles Times. Clearly Monroe is better than both players, but again he is not cheap. All signs point to Monroe remaining in Detroit either for one year or more. Interest from other teams is nice, but no one will realistically make an offer.
