It took two months, but one of the top players in the 2015 class of NBA free agency has finally signed a contract. It just isn’t the type of deal that everyone expected him to receive.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, star forward Greg Monroe signed the qualifying offer to remain with the Detroit Pistons through the 2014-15 season.
Detroit restricted free agent Greg Monroe has signed the qualifying offer, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
During the summer of 2015, Monroe will become an unrestricted free agent.
Monroe can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015. Detroit, Monroe couldn’t agree on an extension. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
From a potential max contract player to a young star on a one-year deal, this is a stunning turn of events.
A rising star accepting a qualifying offer isn’t unheard of, but it’s more of a logical suggestion for those who don’t want to remain with their current team than an actual result. It’s a risky decision for a player who’s essentially betting their long-term future on one single season.
With one injury or a drop-off in production, Monroe could go from potentially receiving a max contract to a short-term deal that requires him to prove himself.
Again.
Entering unrestricted free agency means the Pistons have no obligation to bring him back upon the extension of a qualifying offer, as restricted free agency entails. It also enables Monroe to sign with any team that expresses mutual interest.
A major reason why Monroe didn’t sign elsewhere was the Pistons’ ability to match any offer he received under restricted free agency. That prevented some organizations from even making an offer under the fear that Detroit would run up the asking price and push him out of their reach.
With that ability to sign anywhere he wants, however, comes the necessary proof that he deserves to be a long-term investment.
In a period of free agency that will include fellow big men LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap, the competition for money is stiff. Some will re-sign, but Monroe isn’t yet viewed in the same light as the other names listed.
Thus, he runs the risk of being underpaid in the same way that Millsap was coming out of Utah.
The good news for Monroe is that he’s playing under a head coach, Stan Van Gundy, who knows how to get the best out of big men. Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson are recent examples of players whom Van Gundy has elevated to new heights.
The question is, will Monroe be the latest player to emerge from a Stan Van system with a strengthened reputation? Or will he regret the one-year deal that could open him up to uncertainty?
Time will tell.
Eric Bledsoe Update
With Monroe off of the market, the unequivocal choice for the best available player is rising star Eric Bledsoe. The 24-year-old point guard played 2013-14 with the Phoenix Suns, but has been unable to find a new home going into 2014-15.
The Suns seem like the rational choice, but Bledsoe’s future in Phoenix is limited, at best. Goran Dragic and he have chemistry, but over the past few months, the Suns have signed breakout star Isaiah Thomas and drafted Tyler Ennis in the first round.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Phoenix tried to bring Bledsoe back with a hefty deal, but it wasn’t enough to convince the guard to sign.
Suns made 4-year, $48M offer — comparable to Ty Lawson and Kyle Lowry — but Bledsoe camp has been unwilling to negotiate off that number.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
All things considered, that deal is quite fair.
Bledsoe has long been one of the most promising players in the league. He blends tantalizing athleticism with elite-level defense and dynamic playmaking, which has thus earned him the nickname of mini-Bron—a powerful comparison to LeBron James.
For all that he brings to the table, Bledsoe is more upside than establishment. He played extremely well in 2013-14, but he did so in just 43 games of action.
In his previous three seasons, he’d never once averaged more than 8.5 points or 3.0 assists per contest.
A case could be made that Bledsoe has more upside than both Ty Lawson and Kyle Lowry, to whom his contract offer was compared. Bledsoe hasn’t performed at a high level for as long as Lawson or Lowry, however, which makes this such a difficult situation to interpret.
Coming off of a serious injury and a half-season of starting-caliber production, $12 million per season is an excellent deal.
With news of Monroe accepting his qualifying offer, Bledsoe may soon do the same. He’s not yet a truly proven commodity, and while fans and fellow players may argue otherwise, general managers remain wary.
For two young players with beautiful futures, the short-term isn’t very attractive.
Around The League
- According to Sekou Smith of NBA.com, head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters that Kyrie Irving is ready for Team USA’s upcoming Round of 16 game against Mexico. Coach K said Irving, who’s averaging 9.8 points in 23.0 minutes per game, is, “100 percent,” after suffering a scary fall against Ukraine. Irving seemed to hurt his hip, but the 22-year-old is said to be fine moving forward. Having missed at least 11 games in all three of his NBA seasons, there’s reasonable doubt.
- In Smith’s previously alluded to report, Krzyzewski commented on another point guard who struggles with injuries: Derrick Rose. “I think at some time people should stop asking about him physically and just say, ‘how’s your game? Do you think we’re gonna win? How did you like that pass?’ It sometimes, although it’s nice when people say how do you feel, when that’s the only thing they say, you say, ‘come on man’ let’s have a more in-depth conversation, and I think he’s ready for that.” Rose has played 10 games over the past two seasons and 49 over the past three. For that unfortunate reason, it’s going to take more than the FIBA World Cup for the general population to adopt that mentality.