Last week it was reported that the Pistons increased their offer to Greg Monroe from a five-year, $60MM package to one that’s slightly more lucrative. However, the restricted free agent took to Twitter today to deny that he has received any proposal of that nature.
“[I] can’t reject anything that was not offered to me…carry on,” Monroe said in response to a Twitter follower who asked how he could turn down a five-year, $60MM offer.
The report last week indicated that Detroit’s latest offer was slightly more lucrative than the four-year, $54MM contract that Josh Smith signed with the team last summer. The David Falk client has been widely expected to seek a max contract this summer, though many execs, scouts, and agents have balked at that idea.
The Pistons have looked into the sign-and-trade market and talked shop with the Blazers, Hawks and Pelicans but so far that hasn’t yielded a trade. Even though Monroe would be a valuable asset for a number of teams, one has to imagine that the Pistons’ match power scared off prospective suitors, much in the way that the Suns’ right to match has warded off teams with an eye on guard Eric Bledsoe.
So, for now, Monroe continues to stand without a team. If Monroe wants to enter free agency unencumbered next summer, he could take the risky and unlikely route of signing his one-year qualifying offer for less than $5.5MM.