The Detroit Pistons have some moves they can make this offseason and to keep Greg Monroe in free agency, a trade with Josh Smith or Brandon Jennings could be in the cards, as Stan Van Gundy wants to keep Andre Drummond and Monroe together and that could come at the expense of either Smith or Jennings along with Rodney Stuckey, who is also a free agent this summer.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, reports have come out that Greg Monroe wants to stay with the Pistons, but he wants the team to trade Josh Smith, as they play similar positions. With Andre Drummond locked up, he isn't going anywhere and that means a potential trade with Smith and possibly Brandon Jennings. According to ESPN.com, Stan Van Gundy has disputed reports that Smith will be traded, but PBT reported that the team engaged the Sacramento Kings in potential trade talks involving Smith.
Monroe is one of the best young big men in the league and he comes in after averaging 15 points and nine rebounds and he should only get better as time goes on. The Pistons likely need to move one of the three of Drummond, Smith and Monroe, as they all play in similar areas. SVG is a very good coach and he is a good person to be at the head of this group, but there is some redundancy and he could try and rectify that with a trade. Monroe is a restricted free agent and he has had interest from the LA Lakers, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.
The team has already made some moves this offseason, including signing Jodie Meeks to a deal and while some felt that it was too high of a price, SVG said he feels Meeks gives the team another solid option on offense. According to ESPN.com, the team gave Meeks a deal in the $20 million range over three seasons and it comes after he had his best career year with the Lakers in 2013-14. Last season Meeks had 15.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting well over 40 percent and that gave him some suitors in free agency.
The Pistons are likely letting Rodney Stuckey go and now Meeks can come in and take over some of that responsibility and it gives the team a very solid shooter. Detroit was one of the worst teams in the league in three point shooting last season and now adding Meeks helps with that. The team also has options like Mike Miller and Ray Allen on the free agent market after some of the dust settles involving LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
Last season the Pistons went 29-53 and while they were close to a playoff spot for a little while in the east, they weren't going anywhere and now they are trying to rebuild from the ground up. The team has some young talent in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Drummond and they need to improve their defense, as they ranked 27th in the league in points allowed per game. Drummond and Monroe were good on the boards and the team ended up third in the league in rebounds per game and if they can do that against consistently, they could be a threat in the division.
