Greg Monroe rumors: Houston Rockets still interested?
Detroit Pistons’ restricted free big man Greg Monroe is likely the top player on the market and he has been for some time. He has not come close to signing an offer sheet with any other team (that the Pistons would then have three days to match) and clearly hasn’t received an offer from the Pistons he approves of, which is why he will reportedly be signing the Pistons’ qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent next season.
More from Detroit Pistons
- NBA rumors: Pistons determined to trade Killian Hayes
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
- NBA rumors: Nets clear cap space, perhaps posturing for Cam Johnson
- NBA Free Agency Live Deal Tracker: Grading every signing made worst to best
- NBA Free Agency 2023: 3 landing spots for Jerami Grant you never thought of
The Pistons, however, haven’t ruled out a sign-and-trade and one team that showed some interest in Monroe early in the process is the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have young talent in players like forwards Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas and future assets like the first round pick owed to them by the New Orleans Pelicans in the Omer Asik trade. However, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders does not expect a deal between the two involving Monroe.
"The Houston deal would give Detroit some younger talent, so it makes sense. With that said, I think the Pistons will have a hard time finding teams that are willing to give significant pieces to acquire Monroe since other teams realize they don’t have much leverage."
Monroe put up 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.7% from the field and 65.7% from the free throw line last season. He’s averaged 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 50.8% from the floor and 67.8% from the charity stripe in his career.
Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.