NBA Rumors: Celtics, Knicks to bid on Greg Monroe
By Josh Hill
Greg Monroe will be a free agent this summer, but it appears that the Celtics and Knicks will be bidding for his services.
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While the NBA free agency frenzy has yet to open, waiting for July 1st to roll around, there is growing speculation about some of the top free agents heading for the market and where they will sign. Greg Monroe is one of those guys, and the speculation about him has been mounting as far back as last summer.
Despite wanting a max deal from the Pistons, Monroe was stiffed and ended up signing a restricted free agent tender with a team he no longer wished to play with. That’s all going to change this summer when Monroe has the pick of the litter when it comes to his next deal.
According to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, the belief is that Greg Monroe will sign with either the Celtics or Knicks this summer — probably with whoever offers the higher contract.
Monroe was miffed that the Pistons didn’t max him out last summer and signed a contract that sort of paid him what he’s worth but allowed him to walk with no strings attached this summer. That’s the most valuable part of the one-year contract he inked in Detroit and it’s now about to pay off.
Both the Celtics and Knicks need an All-Star caliber big man to anchor their frontcourts, and Monroe can be that guy. The only question is who will pay the higher price to land him, as Monroe is going to put money first. That’s apparent when considering the Knicks as an option for where you want to play.
The Knicks have the cap space to offer the higher deal to Monroe but the Celtics have the brighter future, being a playoff team this season. It’s still up in the air as to where Monroe will truly consider as no one can talk about deals now but it’s going to be a small market with deep pockets for the big man this summer.
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