Report: Free agent Greg Monroe is interested in Celtics
Greg Monroe is one of the bigger (no pun intended) unrestricted free agents who'll enter the open market this summer.
The forward has spent his entire career with the Detroit Pistons, but risked signing the qualifying offer last year so he wouldn't have to stick around another four years in a system that didn't suit his skills. Throw in the fact that Pistons president Stan Van Gundy just traded for Ersan Ilyasova, a power forward, and Monroe is as good as gone.
But where will he go? According to the Racine Journal Times' Gery Woelfel, "there is strong speculation Monroe will sign with either New York or Boston."
Both teams have enough cap space to give Monroe a max offer, but Monroe's fit in Boston seems a bit more snug. With the Celtics, the 25-year-old (his birthday is June 4th) would immediately become their franchise/best player. Though not a star (yet), Monroe would also be the first domino to fall as the team searches for talent upgrades across the board.
It's unclear how much interest Boston has in Monroe, though. He isn't a versatile defender and doesn't have much of an outside shot. Head coach Brad Stevens explicitly stated that those two characteristics are what he desires from incoming free agents this offseason.
But Monroe is a big body who can rebound, pass and score inside. That's something Boston can definitely work with.
(h/t: Racine Journal Times)
Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports
