The Detroit Pistons have a choice: Re-sign either Reggie Jackson or Greg Monroe to a max (or close to) deal. Not both. Jackson is going to be the one that stays while Monroe is getting closer and closer to signing with the New York Knicks.

Monroe has a few teams interested in him lineup up for meetings. Not one of them is the Pistons, so it looks like after five seasons in Detroit and playing in a lot of lineups that don’t leave him with room to operate near the rim without some overcrowding situation, he’s off to somewhere else, where he’ll be overpaid due to the salary cap raise which makes bad deals look less terrible after one year.

Monroe averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season. Both his per minute and per possession numbers in those categories hit a career high. He hasn’t made leaps and bounds of progress throughout his years in Detroit since his leap from rookie to sophomore in the league, but his ability to put up points and ability in the post make him a very lucrative target. This is, after all, still a league in which prolific big men are highly coveted, maybe too much.

As for Jackson. Even if he wants to leave, it’s difficult as a restricted free agent. Last year was a troubled negotiation with Monroe, eventually leading to him taking a one-year deal (qualifying offer) and opting for free agency now. Jackson might be a bit easier to convince, as he doesn’t step on anyone’s toes like Monroe, who probably wasn’t going to co-exist for long next to Andre Drummond.

Jackson wasn’t happy last season with his role at Oklahoma City. He did extremely well for the Pistons after the trade that sent him to Detroit, operating freely in the backcourt, averaging 17.6 points and 9.2 assists per game. The presence of Jackson, who needs the ball in his hands, just like Brandon Jennings, might mean the Pistons will eventually trade Jennings or at least try to.