Report: Boston and New York are top suitors for Greg Monroe

In case you missed it, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons recently completed a trade where Detroit brought in Ersan Ilyasova for two non-guaranteed contracts. Ilyasova is a starting-caliber power forward who can stretch the floor, something Detroit has been searching for to team up with franchise player Andre Drummond.

This trade all but sealed the fate of Greg Monroe, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing his qualifying offer on a one-year deal last offseason. With Monroe essentially gone, the question becomes where does he land next?

Basketball scribe Gery Woelfel has some insite on that.

There is strong speculation Monroe will sign with either New York or Boston.

Here's to hoping Monroe ends up with the Knicks. Don't get me wrong, Monroe is a very talented player. He could be an All-Star with the right cast around him. Monroe is young, can score easily and is a beast on the boards, all things Boston surely could use. But he's simply not a good fit for this roster.

Boston needs rim protection in the worst way. Monroe has never averaged more than 0.7 blocks per game in his five seasons in the league. Boston needs a big who can stretch the floor at least a little to allow its guards to do what they do best: slash and drive. Monroe makes his living in the paint.

Would signing Monroe be a horrid move by President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge? No. But if that's the direction the team is going, others on the roster will soon be out the door. Marcus Smart is working on his jumper, but it's far from polished and he's much better suited to attack the basket with his size and strength. Smart didn't do enough of that last season mainly because his shot was his prime focus. Expect more penetration from him this upcoming season. Avery Bradley is an average three-point shooter. He's much better at cutting to the basket on the baseline, a feat that would be harder with a 6'11", 253 lbs. monster always in the way. Isaiah Thomas can shoot it just fine, but he also makes many of his shots in the paint.

Bottom line: Monroe has boatloads of talent. He just doesn't have the type of game that would suit Boston the best.

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