Detroit Pistons star Greg Monroe has denied that it is an all-but done deal for him to move to the New York Knicks in free agency in the summer.
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Monroe will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will be of interest to several teams around the league given his talent level and form this year.
The Knicks have significant salary cap space this off-season and need inside presence, and the Pistons big man would certainly fit the bill for them as they are also looking for younger stars to rebuild with.
Reports over the weekend suggested that it was practically a done deal that he would be moving to Madison Square Garden, and although NBA regulations prohibit teams talking to players before the free agency market opens, representatives reportedly opened up a dialogue.
“You write it’s a done deal, there must be another Greg Monroe around here that I don’t know about, because I haven’t agreed to anything,” Monroe said, Pro Basketball Talk reports.
“This stuff right here, it’s just unfortunate that we have to talk about it. I know we have to. But I talk to my agent every day, and I know for sure, I’m 100-percent, 1,000-percent confident, that he hasn’t done anything. If they (the Knicks) have interest, maybe they might have commented on that. But I haven’t even gotten to that place yet.”
Monroe has averaged 16.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season and has looked a lot more comfortable in the Pistons team since Josh Smith was traded.
However, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the 24-year-old will stay in Detroit and that is without considering that he will have other teams to choose from.
While he will likely demand a max deal particularly with the salary cap rise coming next summer, the Los Angeles Lakers have also been mentioned and will be monitoring his situation carefully as they also look to acquire talent in free agency.
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