Rumors: Greg Monroe Received Max Offers

Check out the biggest rumors of the day in our NBA Rumor Round-Up. For more rumors and news, check out Basketball Insiders’ headlines, which are constantly being updated.

The Pistons made it clear from the outset of free agency that they wanted to keep Monroe long-term and were willing to offer him a four year contract that would have paid him in the upper $40 million range, but the knowledge that there were multiple max offers for him out there kept Falk from accepting Detroit’s discounted offer.

Monroe took a big gamble by accepting the qualifying offer and has put a lot of pressure on himself in a situation where he knows he’s going to be sharing minutes with Josh Smith. However, so far in the preseason it looks like Stan Van Gundy is determined to find a way to make them both as effective as possible, without forcing them to play together with Andre Drummond. In fact, Van Gundy has said that the frontline combo of Smith-Monroe-Drummond probably will not be a primary lineup for them.

So far, that has bode well for Monroe, who has been averaging a double-double in the preseason with impressive efficiency.

Although they lost the ability to match any offer for him by virtue of Monroe accepting the qualifying offer, the Pistons are still going to have his Bird rights and the ability to offer him the full five year maximum this offseason. They may be willing to do so if Monroe proves this season that he can fit into Van Gundy’s system and that the presence of Smith won’t take away from his ability to impact the game at a higher level. After three straight years of steady production at right around 15 points and nine rebounds a game, Monroe’s chances at receiving the max from Detroit would also increase if he upped his production into closer to the 20 point, 10 rebound range that he’s been so close to up to this point in his career.

If Monroe doesn’t yield a max offer from the Pistons or just wants to leave no matter what, look for another team to snatch him away with a big offer to come in and be their starting center, a move Monroe would almost certainly be willing to make if it meant max money.

Both sides have voiced a lot of mutual interest in making a deal, but with 17 days left before the extension deadline, the possibility of no agreement being made becomes more and more distinct. Like Monroe, Rubio is incentivized to see what the open market has to offer as teams in need of point guard help like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are going to be sitting on a lot of cap room this offseason. With the possibility of getting the max elsewhere so strong, Rubio’s camp doesn’t see the need to accept a discounted deal right now.

There have been too many cases at the point guard position, from Jrue Holiday to Stephen Curry, of guys taking less than full value on early extensions, only to outplay those contracts immediately after signing them. Rubio has yet to arrive in the same manner they have, but is going to have more responsibility than ever this year. That creates the hope for career-numbers across the board from his camp. With those, a max offer, or close to it, becomes very likely. If he’s just as good as he has been the last couple of years, he’s still very likely going to get an offer around the $40 million range, hence the hesitation to accept an offer like that now since he’s in such a good position to succeed.

At 33 years of age, Ridnour is at the stage in his career where he’s closer to the end than the beginning. He’s put together a solid career for himself and remains a very capable backup point guard, especially for a young team like the Orlando Magic who desperately need his leadership and experience.

However, he plays the league’s most talent-rich position and the competition to play point guard in the NBA is greater than it’s ever been. Ridnour has played a significantly reduced role in the last two seasons and would need to really bounce back with the Magic this season in order to receive serious interest this summer in anything more than a mentor role, if he’s willing to play that.

As a well-traveled veteran who played the game with such a high basketball IQ, Ridnour is positioned nicely to potentially make the transition into coaching, should he desire to go that route.