What's more surprising than LeBron James heading home to Cleveland this summer in the free agency? NBA's top restricted free agents Greg Monroe and Eric Bledsoe still in the open market. If Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons received lucrative offers from Charlotte and Dallas respectively, its difficult to understand why Monroe and Bledsoe did not receive any. What is even worse, both Monroe and Bledsoe aren't happy with their respective teams after failed negotiations on a long term, lucrative extension.
But just recently on Tuesday, Monroe has finally decided to do what he thinks is best for him. He plans to take the Detroit Piston's qualifying offer before the free agency deadline on October 1 and become an unrestricted free agent next summer where he is certain to draw serious attention from numerous teams. And Bledosoe might just follow Monroe's lead and sign Phoenix's qualifying offer according to Jeff Zillgit of The USA Today:
Bledsoe, 24, strongly is considering signing the Suns' qualifying offer for $3.726 million - good for the 2014-15 season - to become an unrestricted free agent after next summer. That's precisely what Detroit Pistons forward-center Monroe plans to do. Monroe has informed the Pistons he plans to sign the qualifying offer ($5.479 million)for one season, spend 2014-15 in Detroit and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Both Bledsoe and Monroe had strong outings for the Suns and Pistons last season. Bledsoe had a breakout year averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 47.7% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc after playing a sixth man role for the L.A Clippers before he was traded to the Suns. Monroe was almost a double-double machine every night putting up 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.7% from the field.
What Monroe and Bledsoe are about to do - leave plenty of money on the table with the hope of landing even more money next summer when they become unrestricted free agents - is quite rare in the NBA. Monroe will just be the14th first-round pick to sign a qualifying offer since 2003; if Bledsoe follows, he would be the 15th per SB Nation.
Both are clearly risking a lot of money especially when it will turn out that they will actually not get as much money as they expected next summer. If Bledsoe signs the qualifying offer he will just make $3.7 million next season, leaving $44 million guaranteed money. And given his injury history, its not certain whether or not he will be able to recoup some of the money that he will leave with a big payday next summer. Greg Monroe, meanwhile, cannot never be to sure if he will recieve a lucrative contract next year given the fact that he hasn't been an All-Star in his entire career.
Is it smart for Greg Monroe and Eric Bledsoe to sign the qualifying offer from their respective teams? If they do sign and become unrestricted free agents next summer, do you think they will gain lucrative offers from numerous teams?
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