Greg Monroe Heard About Trade Rumors from 'Little Kid' on Instagram

LOS ANGELES — In today's social media-crazed sports world, news can and often does come from anywhere.

Greg Monroe knows a thing or two about that. Prior to the Detroit Pistons' game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, Monroe insisted that not only did he not have anything to do with the trade rumor disseminated by Sporting News' Sean Deveney—that Monroe wants out, and the Pistons want a first-round pick for him—but that he only learned about them from an unusual secondhand source.

"It was news to me, like it was news to everybody else. I was on Instagram when I read it," Monroe said. "A little kid said something to me, you know what I’m saying?"

Yes, Greg: We know what you're saying.

His surprise is understandable. December 15 probably isn't a particularly significant date on Monroe's personal calendar, but it means plenty to all 30 teams since it's the first day that summer signees can officially be traded.

"I don’t know dates," Monroe said. "I didn’t know. I haven’t been able to even think about that."

The date, though, is certainly one of importance to Monroe's future. As Deveney recalled, Monroe opted to sign a one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer with Detroit prior to the 2014-15 NBA campaign but only after protracted negotiations that spawned rampant speculation:

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Monroe was a restricted free agent this summer, but was unable to attract a sizable offer from another team—in part, because teams feared the Pistons would match the offer and later use Monroe as a trade chip, and in part, because no one is quite sure how much Monroe is worth. Monroe’s agent, David Falk, had several potential sign-and-trade deals in place, but the Pistons were unwilling to add to an already bloated payroll, and passed.

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As a result, the fifth-year forward out of Georgetown is in a unique and enviable position for a player of his experience, as CBS Sports' Matt Moore explained:

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It's a sweet deal for Monroe. He can reject any attempt to trade him to a team he doesn't want to be with, and if worse comes to worst, he can suck it up and re-sign with Detroit using Bird rights ... if they're willing to pay him the max. If they're not, he can still re-sign elsewhere, just like he could if he was traded, on a four-year deal.

"

"Look, at this point, Greg controls pretty much everything," said Stan Van Gundy, Detroit's head coach and team president. "I think the way it’s set up is good, and he’ll have control at the end."

Right now, the Pistons appear open to moving Monroe, though Van Gundy said he's not actively looking to do so. "We haven’t talked to anybody about trading Greg Monroe," Van Gundy stated flatly. "We know there are teams with interest, and that’s it."

Of course, Detroit could hardly be faulted for entertaining such talks. It's no secret that its frontcourt is crowded with talented but mismatched bodies—between Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith—and that at least one of those giants is likely to be jettisoned at some point. The Pistons' disappointing start to the current campaign, on top of a playoff drought dating back to 2009, would suggest that something has to change.

"You have to always assess where you are and weigh the present with the future, the short-term future with the rest of the year, the long-term future, everything," Van Gundy added.

Monroe, though, insisted that he's not angling for a way out. 

"If they feel the need to come to me, obviously I would have to have that discussion, but that discussion would have to be initiated by them," Monroe said. "It would never be initiated by me."

And according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, Monroe isn't just blowing smoke:

Until the time comes for him to make important decisions regarding his basketball career, Monroe would rather not have to deal with the whispers about his future and the curiosity that they inevitably spark.

"It’s really ridiculous that I have to come here and answer questions about this," Monroe went on.

Almost as ridiculous as getting news about your job from a kid on Instagram.

Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

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