Stan Van Gundy, the new president and head coach of the Detroit Pistons, has time and again stressed his goal of re-signing Greg Monroe. That has yet to happen – talks with the restricted free agent have stalled, this despite the Pistons reportedly sweetening their annual salary offer. Per the Detroit Free Press:
It’s no secret that Monroe wouldn’t mind a change of scenery and wants a max contract, but the system hasn’t worked for the restricted free agent like it has for Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward and now-Mavs forward Chandler Parsons, both of whom received lucrative deals this off-season.
Teams around the league just don’t view Monroe as worthy of a max offer sheet —— especially with the perceived notion that the Pistons would just match. Despite a productive four seasons, stretch power forwards are high valued and inside players like Monroe have become devalued.
The Pistons have moved from the initial five-year, $60-million offer and an offer that’s slightly better on a per-year basis than the four-year, $54-million deal that Josh Smith signed last summer is on the table. […] But the offer to make him the highest paid player on the roster hasn’t brokered an agreement. And negotiations aren’t ongoing.
