Monroe on Pistons: 'I don't want to be anywhere I'm not wanted'

As expected, the parting of ways between Greg Monroe and the Detroit Pistons is imminent.

Monroe, an unrestricted free agent as of Wednesday, says the writing is on the wall.

"The (Pistons have) different plans and I respect that," the big man told his hometown New Orleans Advocate over the weekend. "I don’t want to be anywhere I'm not wanted."

Monroe, drafted in 2010, has presented some duplication issues with center Andre Drummond, drafted two years later. Monroe was shifted to power forward as a result but lacks the shooting touch of many modern-day fours and has defensive shortcomings and less upside than Drummond.

"Stan had smaller teams in Orlando years ago," Monroe said, referring to Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy's time with the Magic. "(Drummond) is like Dwight Howard. So Stan wants to put good players around him."

While Monroe probably unintentionally slighted himself with the "good players" remark, Van Gundy is indeed looking for floor spacers and acquired stretch-four Ersan Ilyasova earlier this month.

Still, it's a tune that has changed drastically from midseason, when Van Gundy shot down questions about Monroe being dealt away at the trade deadline given his impending free agency. "We're still hopeful of Greg Monroe for the long term," the coach said at the time.

Fast forward to this past week, when Van Gundy conceded the team was "not optimistic" about keeping him.

The Georgetown product reportedly has five teams - the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Milwaukee Bucks - interested in his services. Monroe logged a career-high 10.2 rebounds next to almost 16 points per game in 2014-15, and could be a half-decent consolation prize for a team that fails to land LaMarcus Aldridge.