Greg Monroe will take qualifying offer and become an UFA in 2015. Could a deal involving Rajon Rondo and the Pistons happen this season?
Even with the risks, it looks as though signing the 5.5 million dollar qualifying offer and becoming an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2015 may be the best route for Monroe.
Especially, considering he is reportedly not happy with his situation playing alongside Josh Smith in Detroit.
Smith is virtually unmovable because he is guaranteed 13.5 million dollars a year through 2017 which is truly one of the more regrettable and confusing signings in recent NBA memory.
The news of Monroe's accepting the qualifying offer comes courtesy of sheridanhoops.com:
Detroit Pistons big man Greg Monroe has informed the team that he will sign the qualifying offer presented to him. By accepting he’ll be able to enter free agency next summer unrestricted. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports: Monroe, 24, was a restricted free agent this summer but decided not to sign an offer sheet with another team or sign a multiyear extension with the Pistons. He instead will be one of the most highly sought-after free agents next offseason. Monroe’s qualifying offer is for $5.479 million in 2014-15 and cannot be traded without his consent once he signs. He’s expected to sign it before the Oct. 1 deadline.
Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com elaborated on why this is such a monumental decision from the Piston big man:
When rumors leaked that Greg Monroe was thinking about signing the qualifying offer and playing out his rookie contract to get out of Detroit as a free agent next summer rather than accept the team’s terms (reportedly a little more than the they paid Josh Smith the year before) most people around the league thought it was a bluff. Mostly because nobody else had ever turned down that kind of money (more than $11 million a year) and taken a year of injury risk just to get out of town.
Monroe averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds a game last season, with a solid true shooting percentage of .531 and a well above average PER of 18.1. A lot of people think he could develop into an All-Star center. That said, playing next to Josh Smith (and Andre Drummond) stunted Monroe’s growth. Those three cannot play together, but the Pistons likely bring them all back this year.
Most restricted free agents try to get another team to make them a big offer that their current team would have to match. Monroe did not do that. While he has a lot of fans in front offices around the league — and will be very sought after as a free agent next summer — teams thought the Pistons would match pretty much any offer so they didn’t make one. Monroe’s agent tried to find a sign-and-trade but nothing happened.
This development could present an interesting situation for Boston with regards to Rajon Rondo this season and next summer.
If Boston were able to land Monroe via trade and get him to sign an extension they could potentially keep Rondo and be a piece away from being very competitive.
The interesting sub-plot to this would be would Rajon want to play alongside someone who obviously does not enjoy playing with one of Rondo's best friends: Josh Smith.
Or, will Rondo be in play in a trade for Monroe if the Celtics can get a guarantee from the big man's agent that he will sign an extension with the C's.
After all, Monroe just turned 24 which fits in perfectly with Boston's youth movement and the Pistons are in dire need of a distributing point guard to pair with up and coming superstar Andre Drummond.
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