With the start of the 2014-15 NBA season near, Greg Monroe has signed the qualifying offer to remain with the Detroit Pistons according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Detroit restricted free agent Greg Monroe has signed the qualifying offer, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 5, 2014
By choosing to sign this offer, the talented power forward will become an unrestricted free agent in 2015 where the Los Angeles Lakers have previously expressed interest. After losing out on Carmelo Anthony, there were rumors that Monroe was part of the team’s Plan B, but nothing further developed this summer.
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Monroe being a restricted free agent this summer made it difficult for the Lakers, and any other interested team, to sign him as the Pistons could have matched any offers for him. As a result, Los Angeles re-signed Jordan Hill, brought in Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis, while drafting Julius Randle.
For the Lakers, they look to rebound from the worst season in franchise history as all the focus is on the return of Kobe Bryant. Despite the return of the five-time champion, most expect the Lakers to have another difficult season.
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