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Greg Monroe free agency rumors: linked to Trail Blazers, others

By David MacKay

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Last off-season, there was serious talk about the Portland Trail Blazers attempting to acquire Detroit Pistons forward-center Greg Monroe in a sign-and-trade situation. That talk died down when the Trail Blazers instead signed Chris Kaman to add depth to their frontcourt. Monroe would later sign a qualifying offer with the Pistons. Now that Monroe is a free agent once again (unrestricted this time), he has been linked to the Trail Blazers for his second straight year.

"Five teams have shown serious interest — the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Monroe said he’ll meet with those teams this week. – Via Darrell Williams, The Advocate"

Dec 9, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe (10) during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Portland won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

This raises one very important question: Do the Trail Blazers still intend to pair Monroe with LaMarcus Aldridge, or is he part of their contingency plan if Aldridge leaves?

Supposing that the former is the case, it would certainly mean the departure of current starting center Robin Lopez, who endured a down-season after breaking his right hand. While the team has done an impressive job of clearing cap by trading for Noah Vonleh and Mason Plumlee, those same acquisitions have potentially overcrowded the frontcourt as it is. It seems unlikely that President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey is angling for a future that includes Aldridge, Lopez, Vonleh, Plumlee, and Monroe, as well as the heretofore unmentioned Meyers Leonard.

As bittersweet as losing Lopez would be, that is probably the best case scenario for bringing Monroe onboard. It appears increasingly probable that the Trail Blazers are in the market for an Aldridge replacement instead. Their interest in Monroe is ostensibly adding another iron to the fire while Aldridge weighs his own options.

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In either case, Monroe is worth a look. He is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game with underrated skills as an interior passer. Scoring has never been a problem for him either. He averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15, with career averages of 14.3 points and 9.2 rebounds over the course of five seasons. Having entered the league at 20 years old, he is still just 25.

Presumably, any deal that the Trail Blazers consider offering would be short-term. Many free agents are looking for one or two year contracts with options built in so that they can get their piece of the pie when the new $24 billion TV deal takes effect in 2016. Monroe is one of those players.

"“(He and agent David Falk) are definitely looking at all our options,” he said. “You can see the trend is everybody’s taking shorter deals right now. So, most likely, I might take that route, too, and when the new deal kicks in, get a longer-term contract. – Via Darrell Williams, The Advocate"

This would make it difficult to bank on his involvement in any long-term plans, but that is a risk that most teams must take in free agency this year. As the Trail Blazers focus on getting younger and more athletic, Monroe fits the bill better than most. Whichever team successfully signs him is getting a truly valuable asset. For better or worse, Portland is stockpiling those at the moment.

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