The Detroit Pistons were hoping to create their own Big 3 when they brought in Josh Smith to team up with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. However, the three make for one very crowded frontcourt and a failed experiment on behalf of the Pistons. Now the team is 16-22 while showing little signs of improvement. Despite denying anyone is being traded, the Orlando Magic could be interested.
Head coach Maurice Cheeks stated that Smith has a firm grip on the starting forward spot and would likely see the most minutes on the roster. Statistically speaking, having Smith, Monroe and Drummond all on the court at the same time is not working. The best combination is keeping Smith and Drummond working in tandem, leaving Monroe out. Cheeks confirmed that he is attempting to avoid the Monroe, Dummond combo on the court, leaving many to wonder if a trade is in order.
Monroe becomes a free agent at the end of the season and at 23, he has a tremendous amount of upside. According to FanSided.com, one team that could start to show interest is the Orland Magic while offering up Arron Afflalo in a player swap. First thing is first, Detroit says no one is going anywhere. Vince Ellis at the Detroit Free Press reports, "I can say with certainly there is not talk of trading Greg Monroe currently. Could that change? Sure, but right now the Pistons are going to patient."
Patience is likely starting to run thin. Detroit needs an outside shoot and Afflalo is the best on the market. He would free up spacing on the court, something that is lacking thanks to three bigs standing in the same spot. Smith is shooting just 25.3 percent from beyond the arc while Drummond just puts up dunks. Switch out Monroe for Afflalo and there could be some success.
Giving up Afflalo removes the only outside offensive threat for the Orlando Magic, However, they have been looking to free up cap space, making him available. Orlando has found it difficult to deal Afflalo and get quality in return, but Monroe would certainly fit the "young, talented player" request from the team. Adding Monroe would help Nikola Vucevic find spacing on the court and would force Tobias Harris to play small forward and develop a better shot.
This trade is merely speculation. Looking at both teams, it fits the needs. Monroe is a better asset than Afflalo so this deal would likely be better for Orlando. It is uncertain whether or not the team intends to re-sign him in free agency. With Smith developing as "the guy" in Detroit and Drummond immune to trade rumors, Monroe goes whether the Pistons get something in return or not.