2015 NBA free agency: Knicks targeting Greg Monroe

Frank Isola of New York Daily News reports that Phil Jackson looks to court Greg Monroe aggressively this off season - even going so far as to insinuate some of that courting might already have taken place.

Maybe the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Phil Jackson plans to pursue Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe in free agency this summer. In fact, one league executive called it "about as close to a done deal as you can get."

Still, this wouldn't be the first time a reporter made a bold, confident claim about Monroe citing anonymous league executives that turned out to be without any merit whatsoever. Isola himself hedged his bombastic bet, noting that if it were indeed a done deal, serious tampering charges would be in play.

Moose has been more and more connected with the Knicks as of late, as former Jackson assistant coach Charley Rosen mentioned Monroe as a perfect fit for the Knicks and the triangle.

Which makes sense. Moose would play well in the triangle. And he should be one of the most attractive free agents this off season, so it makes sense that the Knicks would be interested in him.

But what doesn't make sense is that Rosen and Isola essentially rule Karl Anthony-Towns out as the Knicks' top target in favor of Jahlil Okafor. A Monroe-Okafor frontcourt seems like it would have a number of redundant strengths and weaknesses - where Towns' shooting and shot blocking ability would pair nicely with Monroe.

Additionally, there's no reason to think that Moose would have any interest in signing with the Knicks even if they did offer a max contract. It doesn't seem too logical that Monroe would pass up a multi-year deal last summer just to sign with a 16-win team, even if it did offer the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Phil Jackson, and Madison Square Garden.

Most likely, this is just a matter of a 16 win team with the league's second worst offense and third worst defense having nothing interesting to talk about and pining for the off season.