Quietly but surely, the Detroit Pistons have been one of the most active teams in free agency. The organization parted ways with general manager Joe Dumars, replaced him with Stan Van Gundy and began padding its roster.
As July comes to a close, two of the Pistons’ biggest names have purely uncertain futures: forwards Greg Monroe and Josh Smith.
Monroe, 24, is one of the most promising big men in the league. The 6’11” ex-Georgetown Hoyas star averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2013-14 and continues to display a wide array of offensive skills.
Despite all of that, he remains a restricted free agent with minimal signs of progress in contract negotiations. While Van Gundy has stated that Detroit intends to bring him back, a deal has yet to be executed.
According to Jordan Schultz of The Huffington Post, a new candidate to challenge Detroit for Monroe’s services has emerged.
Hearing Suns may be considering a Greg Monroe offer. They have space to get both him and Bledsoe but would lose cap flexibility long-term.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 20, 2014
The Phoenix Suns have a need for a franchise big man. Monroe fits the bill.
As I tweeted earlier this week, the Suns and Pistons should explore a potential swap of restricted free agents: Eric Bledsoe for Monroe.
Phoenix has acquired point guards Isaiah Thomas via a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings and Tyler Ennis through the draft. It also has reigning Most Improved Player of the Year award winner Goran Dragic as its immensely popular and talented franchise player.
While Phoenix may not have written off re-signing Bledsoe, the $32 million divide the two sides, per Chris Broussard of ESPN, and the crowded backcourt suggest he’s on his way out.
Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin may argue otherwise, but Detroit isn’t set at point guard. Under the defensive-minded Van Gundy, Bledsoe would be the perfect weapon to help the Pistons turn a corner.
The mere thought of he and Andre Drummond coming together as a high-low tandem is tantalizing.
As for the Suns, they have a very balanced and promising roster that turned out something of a cinderella season in 2013-14. The one thing that the organization lacks, however, is a go-to big man who can be relied upon for more than just crashing the boards.
Marcus and Markieff Morris are quality face-up 4s, but Phoenix needs a post-up big man. That’s exactly who Monroe is and what he can offer the Suns in 2014-15.
He’s not an explosive athlete, but Monroe is the offensive weapon who can help Phoenix in its weakest of areas: producing once the game slows down.
Van Gundy, Smith Meet
Arguably the single most polarizing talent in the NBA is Pistons forward Josh Smith. He has the ability, athleticism and body type to be one of the Top 10 players in the league, but borderline horrid shot selection and irresponsible ball-handling have marred his career.
According to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, the Pistons and Kings have engaged in talks for a potential trade involving a Smith-to-Sacramento swap.
The Kings’ quest to upgrade at power forward has led them back to talks with the Detroit Pistons about Josh Smith, league sources said, though a deal is not imminent.
The Kings have several power forwards, but they do not believe they have a starter they can build around and who will help them reach the playoffs.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Van Gundy has assured Smith that he’s likely to stay with the Pistons.
Detroit Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy reached out to forward Josh Smith to tell him that reports of the franchise engaging in substantive trade talks with Sacramento centered on Smith have been inaccurate and – barring an unexpected turn of events – Smith will be in training camp with the Pistons this fall, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
In other words, Smith has been assured that he will not be traded. Unless there’s an offer that really knocks his socks off.
That’s not very reassuring, but it’s better than an impending deal that breeds no promise of remaining with an organization.
Smith has every physical tool necessary to be a superstar. The 28-year-old is 6’9″ and 225 pounds with explosive athleticism, close to unparalleled defensive versatility and the skills to exploit an opposition on both ends.
Unfortunately, he’s also fresh off of a season in which he took 3.4 3-pointers per game and converted just 26.4 percent from beyond the arc.
That number plays a major factor in Van Gundy’s future decision. He has two big men playing out of position in Smith at small forward and Monroe at the 4.
It’s unclear if either can adapt well enough to lead the Pistons into the postseason.
Smith’s reputation has suffered from past All-Star snubs and inconsistency, but he’s worth the money when he’s at his best.
According to NBA.com, Smith held opponents to 47.1 percent shooting when he met them at the rim in 2013-14. Amongst players who saw at least 5.0 attempts per game in that scenario, Smith ranked No. 10 in the league.
The players behind J-Smoove include Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan.
For his career, Smith has cumulative averages of 15.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals. Per Basketball-Reference, Smith is one of three players with cumulative averages of at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game since his rookie year in 2004-05.
The others: Anthony Davis and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard.
You can call that a specific set of numbers, if you’d like, but it’s a testament to his versatility on both ends. He’s a genuinely elite defender when applying himself fully, but focus and game management skills have been his downfall.
Per Wojnarowski’s report, Van Gundy plans to take a gamble on Smith’s world-class ability.
Around The League
- The NBA’s Development League has taken a major hit, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. “After seven years as National Basketball Association Development League president, Dan Reed has resigned to take a new job, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Reed will take a job running sports partnerships at Facebook, sources told Yahoo Sports.”
- According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the Boston Celtics have sent power forward Kris Humphries to the Washington Wizards via trade. Per Washburn, “[Humphries] goes to WSH for protected second round pick and $4.3 mil trade exception.” Humphries’ reputation has suffered from his reputation with Kim Kardashian, but he’s a very valuable energy player who averaged 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.9 minutes in 2013-14.
- Humphries’ deal is worth $13.3 million over three years, per Marc Stein of ESPN. The entire contract is non-guaranteed.
- The Miami Heat have re-signed center Chris Andersen, per NBA.com. Marc Stein of ESPN reports that it’s a two-year deal worth $10.4 million. It’s entirely guaranteed.