FanPost

To Trade Or Not To Trade Greg Monroe

About a week ago we were certain that Greg Monroe would stay..... then Jennings happened.

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With the Pistons looking absolutely atrocious, I think it's worth bringing up the trade Monroe argument again. If the Pistons fail to make the playoffs, how much will Monroe want to stay? I know that for 15 games, we were a fantastic team that had a great chance of resigning him, but it looks like the level of play we once had will be gone for the rest of the season. Yes, we can tell Monroe that next year will be better, but we said the same thing the year before, and the year before, and the year before. Eventually it begins to be a tad repetitive for Monroe. While it isn't a move that most of want to do, it seems essential.

Over the 15-game stretch, the Pistons looked like a team that would be considered contenders in a few years. If Monroe leaves for nothing, we will take several steps back. An example of this is the Pacers, although PG is out, getting rid of Lance Stephenson is likely taking a step back. They were once one player away from a very serious chance of making the finals to now being two players away. The best option is to play it safe and make sure we have a player of his quality on the roster next year.

Trading Monroe might also provide some other benefits to the team as well. First of all, the salary of the team could become very tight very soon. Andre Drummond will command tons of money, as expected, and the Pistons will give him tons of money, as expected. After that, we have Jennings and Augustin coming of the books next year. If Jennings plays like he recently did next year, he will be a max player, especially after seeing what the team is like without him. Hypothetically speaking, if we have both Drummond and Jennings at or near max money, it would be very hard to have Monroe make the money he wants. It is worth noting that there will be an increase in the cap due to the new TV deal, but how much money we will have is strictly a bunch of assumptions. The best way for the Pistons to achieve their max potential is to not have 3 guys taking up your entire cap.

Secondly, we could trade for someone that fits better than Monroe. This is not to say that Monroe doesn't fit, but there are better options. Monroe's nickname is Moose, and Moose are not fast. Look at the roster with Jennings, Drummond, Meeks, KCP, etc. and you'll notice we have an up-tempo team. Another point I would like to raise is that we are a fabulous pick and roll team, but we could be even better if we had a 4 that could shoot the mid-range shot. Let's not kid ourselves, Monroe is not a shooter. Imagine a pick and roll with Jennings where the screener can pop the mid easily and Drummond is left all alone in the paint. It's deadly. We could go a different route and trade for a good 3. With the amount of perimeter shooters we have on this team, wouldn't a 3 that could get to the rim be a massive benefit? Simply having a small forward who is a drive and D kind of guy would provide immeasurable benefits to the team.

Regardless of what you think of Monroe (personally, he has been my favorite player for a few years), trading him will likely be better for the team. With a top-15 pick probable, we have a lot of flexibility to replace Monroe. What do you guys think about trading him?

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