The Detroit Pistons have said once before that they have no intentions of trading center Greg Monroe and they intend to stick to their words. The Pistons currently have a lot of problems right now, but the biggest might be their extremely crowded front court of Monroe, Andre Drummond and Greg Smith. While many expected at least one player to be traded, the Pistons are ignoring offers for the time being.
The Washington Wizards have expressed the most interest in acquiring Monroe before the NBA trade deadline. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insider reported the Wizards felt they were just one player away from being a playoff team and Monroe could get them over the hump.Washington has plenty of trade packages they could put together involving either Otto Porter, Trevor Ariza or Martell Webster.
However, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insider is saying sources believe the Pistons will reject any offer for Monroe. Could that change just days before the deadline? Of course, this is the NBA. But right now the team is remaining firm in their belief that the Big 3 of Monroe, Smith and Drummond will work out in the end.
Monroe is not a fan of the trade rumors. The center admits all of the trade talk has really been getting to him and has gotten distracting as the deadline gets closer. It is no surprise that he is the center piece of these discussions. Monroe is in the final year of his contract. He is young and while his stats are down this year, there is plenty of potential for growth. As the Pistons' season continues to go nowhere, it seems likely Detroit will want something in return for the center that will walk away in the summer.
"It does, to be honest, especially when we're trying to still get things right here, to see that stuff," Monroe said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I just try to focus on what we're doing here, and I'm here. If that changes, then I'll move forward, but until then or if it never does, I'm just going to focus on playing these games and trying to win these games."
The Wizards intend to go after Monroe whether it is by trade or free agency. The team is desperate to stabilize their franchise for the future. They started things off by signing John Wall to a long-term max contract. They also have deals in place for Marcin Grotat and possibly Bradley Beal as well. Monroe could be the final piece to the puzzle.
