Greg Monroe rumors: Little traction in Detroit Pistons’ sign & trade talks
As soon as former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy became the head coach and president of the Detroit Pistons, he knew he had a couple of big problems. Not only did the Pistons lack shooting, but one of their best players, big man Greg Monroe, who is a restricted free agent and their big singing of the 2013 offseason, Josh Smith, are both better suited as a power forward.
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Van Gundy hopes to have already gone along way towards solving their shooting issues by signing guard Jodie Meeks to a three-year, $19 million deal. Now, he can turn his attention to Monroe and Smith. Van Gundy’s preference would likely be to deal with, but with three-years and $40.5 million left on his deal, that could be difficult and they may wind up dealing Monroe instead.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons have been “willing to engage teams in sign-and-trade scenarios for Monroe,” but nothing has come of it thus far.
"Since his hiring in the spring, Van Gundy has had productive discussions with Smith and sources say that Smith has been enthusiastic about moving forward with Van Gundy as coach.Smith could return to a frontcourt that includes forward Greg Monroe, who is a restricted free agent this summer. The Pistons have been willing to engage teams in sign-and-trade scenarios for Monroe, but those talks have gained little traction, sources said."
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.