The Washington Wizards are reportedly interested in acquiring Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe. Washington plans to pursue the big man in either free agency or before the NBA trade deadline, Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders.com reports.
With Detroit sitting with a 17-24 record, the team may look ahead to the future and entertain trade offers for Monroe.
"One player who has been mentioned in trade rumors throughout this season is Greg Monroe, the young power forward who will be a restricted free agent this offseason since he couldn't agree on an extension with the Pistons," Kennedy wrote on Monday. "...It's possible that Detroit moves the valuable Monroe to upgrade another position and slide (Josh) Smith over to power forward.
"One team that is interested in Monroe is the Washington Wizards, according to multiple league sources. It's becoming clear that Washington is planning to pursue (Monroe), either through trade or free agency."
Kennedy added, "How the team performs in the coming weeks could determine what the (Pistons') front office does next, similar to what's occurring with the Toronto Raptors right now."
The frontcourt of Monroe, Smith and Drummond hasn't worked out as expected when Detroit made Smith their big free agent signing in the summer. Trading Monroe would net Detroit assets — picks, young talent or expiring contracts — to use in the future.
Although Washington has only $43.1 million on the books for next season, the team is expected to re-sign Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat when their contracts expire in July.
Nene currently starts at the 4-spot for Washington and is under contract through 2016, but he's struggled staying healthy throughout his career.
Monroe, the 2010 No. 7 overall draft pick, is averaging 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
