The Detroit Pistons have Greg Monroe as a trade target this season and teams like the For Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Knicks could be interested in making a move, as he is headed towards free agency and those teams could be in the mix to sign him if he is not traded this season.
Monroe has trade power since he signed a qualifying offer and while he has said that he is not looking for a deal now, things could change as the deadline gets closer. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Monroe wants to sign a big deal as a free agent and he wants to keep his Bird rights and that is partly why he is not looking for a trade. The Pistons have been terrible, but Monroe has said that he will consider the team in free agency. The Pistons just made a major move by waiving Josh Smith and that also may help keep Monroe in Detroit.
Monroe is having a solid season while averaging 14 points and eight rebounds and now that Smith is gone, Detroit may try and sign him long term as a free agent. Earlier reports from the summer had Monroe asking for Smith to be traded for any chance at signing back and while he came out to say those reports were false, he likely is happy about the situation. Andre Drummond, Monroe and Smith all play down low and now with Smith gone things will be more opened up for Monroe.
But just because Monroe is not looking to "initiate" trades doesn't mean he won't come up once the deadline gets closer. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Pistons have been looking to get at least a first round pick for Monroe and that is a high asking price for a player that can leave in free agency. The Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, Rockets, Bulls and Cavaliers all could be options for Monroe in free agency and now Cleveland and Chicago could also look at him in trades. The Bulls have dealt with injuries to Taj Gibson, while the Cavaliers may lose Anderson Varejao.
The Indiana Pacers and Pistons spoke over the summer about a trade with Monroe and Roy Hibbert, but those talks died down after the Paul George injury. Hibbert could remain a target at the deadline, but the Pistons are not going to be buyers, as they are just 5-23 on the season. Monroe seems content to wait things out until free agency, but it's likely he would want to be in a winning situation over what's going on in Detroit. Stan Van Gundy will need time to turn this around and if Monroe is looking to get out, he could be more open to a trade at the deadline.
Varejao and his injury could change things for the Cavaliers, as they had already been looking at big men like Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos even before the injury happened. The price might be too high for Monroe, but they likely will at least check in on him. The team has Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters as potential trade targets and a young player could be enough to sway the Pistons. Monroe still is shaping up to be one of the best free agents on the market this summer.
