Given his desire to bolt from Detroit, big man Greg Monroe’s only source of leverage this summer is to accept a $5.7 million qualifying offer, and flee next summer as an unrestricted free agent.
According to the WaPo, Monroe’s reps presented a bunch of sign-and-trade scenarios, but the Pistons have yet to bite:
Monroe and his agent, David Falk, never sought an offer sheet from another team but pursued sign-and-trade proposals with at least five other teams, including Portland and Oklahoma City, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Monroe denied receiving a reported five-year, $60 million offer – or anything close – from Pistons and would’ve been unlikely to accept either way.
As the only power forward in the Eastern Conference to average at least 15 points and nine rebounds last season, Monroe certainly could have commanded more on the open market; his current salary cap hold with the Pistons is $10.2 million. But his motivation has been moving on, not the money. The money lost to Monroe in the interim is the cost of his freedom, and his desire to leave Detroit makes the price tag palatable.
His frustrations with the Pistons are understandable since he is about to have his fifth coach in five years with incoming coach Stan Van Gundy (who will also serve as team president) and Detroit is no closer to being a playoff team than it was when he arrived.
