NBA Rumors: Greg Monroe To Knicks ‘As Close To A Done Deal As You Can Get’

USA Today

NBA free agency will get underway in less than three months with players being able to test the free agent waters come July 1. One of the more sought free-agents-to-be is forward Greg Monroe. Although the Detroit Pistons appear to be determined to bring Monroe back with a new deal this summer, the soon-to-be 25-year-old may already be spoken for.

Obviously, no player or team can sign or have an agreement in place before the start of free agency, but the rumors are beginning to swirl that Monroe is headed to New York no matter what. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Monroe going to the Knicks might be a foregone conclusion:

Maybe the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Phil Jackson plans to pursue Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe in free agency this summer. In fact, one league executive called it “about as close to a done deal as you can get.”

There’s no question the biggest names on the open market will be LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies), Rajon Rondo (Dallas Mavericks) and Goran Dragic (Miami Heat), but Monroe will also garner considerable interest this summer.

The Knicks will have the cap space and the motivation to upgrade their roster this summer with new team president Phil Jackson as the pitch man. Monroe could be one of two or three targets this summer with the Knicks also rumored to make a run at Gasol.

The upcoming 2015 NBA draft will also help determine the team’s direction in free agency with the Knicks on pace to have a pick in the top three. In all likelihood, New York will have the top pick with Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky) or Jahlil Okafor (Duke) potentially in their crosshairs.