Did Pistons not offer Greg Monroe a rookie-contract extension?
By Dan Feldman
"The Pistons could have locked up Monroe with an extension on his rookie contract two years ago but never made an offer.“I never asked for an explanation and they didn’t have to give me one,” Monroe said in recalling that situation. “It is what it is. We’re all men. We’re all professionals. You’re not really saying much in a situation like that, per se. You kind of get the picture. I’ve obviously dealt with it. I’ve continued to play. I’m past it also. And now I’m in the position I’m in.“People look at it like, ‘He decided to do something else,’ but at the end of the day, it could have been done prior to this and it probably could have been a different situation. I’m not worried about it anymore.”Monroe was asked by a reporter if he was surprised the Pistons, then under the watch of former president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, didn’t extend his contract in 2013.“Slightly,” he replied. “I thought I did enough and conducted myself in a way to at least get an offer. As people always say, it’s one thing if the player says no. But if I was never even offered anything, that says more to me than any explanation. I don’t really need an explanation once you get to that point where there wasn’t even an option for me.”"
The Pistons didn’t extend Monroe’s contract in 2013, but the story then was his agent, David Falk, didn’t want an extension.
That never made sense to me. What if the Pistons offered a max extension? What was Falk waiting for then? (Unless Monroe’s plan to escape Detroit as quickly as possible predates his accepting the qualifying offer last summer).
The Pistons not offering any extension in 2013 also doesn’t make sense. Even if you weren’t convinced at that Monroe was a max player, why not at least offer less? Maybe he valued stability and would have accepted. What’s the harm in trying? Plus, it sounds as if the lack of an offer offended him. A low offer would have at least showed the Pistons wanted to keep.
This story is very strange, and I wonder whether the confusion is just in translating these details for public consumption or whether there were communication gaps behind the scenes as well.
The Pistons will probably lose Monroe this summer with no return. How much did the Pistons not offering him a contract extension in 2013 contribute to this situation? Could better communication – even without an extension being signed – have improved this situation?