Contract negotiations between the Detroit Pistons and restricted free agent Greg Monroe are going nowhere fast (and, naturally, trade rumors have begun to surface.) Monroe, in search of a larger payday than Detroit appears willing to give him, is reportedly prepared to take the $5.3 million qualifying offer and re-enter free agency next summer. Per the Detroit News:
While the Pistons big man has not pursued an offer sheet from another team, he has pursued sign-and-trade possibilities, and Monroe is “definitely” willing to take the one-year qualifying offer worth $5.3 million from Detroit in order to ensure his unrestricted free agency next summer, a source familiar with Monroe’s thinking said.
Part of Monroe’s thinking could be the Pistons’ likely stance of matching any contract offer, even if the max is well above their reported offer of four years and $50-plus million, similar to the deal Josh Smith signed last summer. Through his Twitter account, Monroe has disputed being offered a deal with that framework, or the five years/$60 million that has been reported by other outlets. […] “(I) can’t reject anything that was not offered to me,” Monroe wrote Sunday, shortly after returning stateside from a trip to Africa through the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
While taking the qualifying offer is a risk if he gets injured — he has missed just one of his last 310 games — it’s the biggest leverage he and his agent, David Falk, have. If Monroe signs the qualifying offer, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer, free to sign wherever he likes — and for the following season, he would have to approve any trade, as he likely would try to secure a long-term deal with any new team.
He’s just not a max player. No teams are willing to pay him max money this year, why does he expect that to change next year? 4 and $54 million is about the best he’s going to get.
so i was hearing rumors that he was being offered $12m a year….so those have now been shown to be b.s.? he’s only getting 5.3$m?
..
I think he knows that, seems like he’s just trying to get out of Detroit…can you blame him?
Pistons will be bottom feeders, so this does not matter. Monroe take the low money, then go to an elite team.
Signing Josh Smith was a HUGE mistake.
He 1) wants out of Detroit, 2) wants MORE money if he is to stay in Detroit. Since he doens’t like his options, he has his own option of accepting a qualifying offer in order to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. It’s a huge risk considering it is less money and the chance he might get injured. But as the articles states, he’s only missed 1 of the last 310 games.