We’re just a few short hours away from NBA free agency, and the Kings are predictably busy. In a Spotify Live session with veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that there is mutual interest between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers free agent Malik Monk.
.@TheSteinLine asks @JakeLFischer about Malik Monk: He has has heard that Monk could go back to the Lakers for the midlevel right now, but Monk is looking for better offers. One team to watch, with mutual interest: Sacramento Kings
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) June 30, 2022
The 24-year-old guard had a breakout season with the Lakers in 2021-22, averaging a career-high 13.8 points per game on .473 shooting from the field, and .391 shooting from three on 5.8 3PA. Monk could be the volume shooter Sacramento needs next to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to space the floor.
This wouldn’t the first time Fox and Monk shared a backcourt together. They were teammates under Coach Calipari at Kentucky in 2016-17, and remain good friends to this day.
The Monk rumor dropped just moments after we found out that the Kings are unlikely to retain shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo after declining his qualifying offer. Monk would provide the Kings with a considerable upgrade over DiVincenzo offensively and a likely downgrade defensively.
Despite those defensive concerns, Monk is a good young player with upside that fits the Kings timeline and would certainly improve their playoff chances next season.
Free agent negotiations can officially begin (wink, wink) at 3 PM PT today. Stay tuned.
This is a smart move if it’s true and actually comes true. I’ve liked the idea of Monk to sacramento for months now. He made a big jump last season and I think he has a lot more to give and prove. Who better to do that with than his old running mate that were the scariest back court in college basketball for one season?!?!
its essential that current kings players use their relationships and connections to help bring in free agents to this franchise. I for one will be super excited about Monk in a Kings Jersey next to Fox. It’s a very solid fit in a position of need for what the team needs. Shooting! Monk fox together = damn interesting at the very very least. Sign me up.
TKH will have a hell of a time selling Fox n Monk shirts.
Isn’t it easier to incorporate Monk into the Pray That Murray Pans Out shirts?
Fox n Monk sounds like a new locally sourced artisanal restaurant that’s opening near the capital.
Featuring free bread and fish appetizers, cured ham always on the menu, the water will leave you a little tipsy.
Lettuce pray…
Maybe the Fox and Goose should change their name to Fox and Monk
Monk certainly needed to work on his game, but when people at times debate BPA versus fit – he’s one of the good counterarguments to the BPA position that I take.
Feels like he just got stuck on deep bench of guards with the Hornets and he was a player who needed the ball in his hands, but wasn’t given the opportunity. Over time, he both improved as an off ball player, but also finally got more chances to get minutes and have the ball in is hands.
He would do nothing to solve our defensive issues, but he would let us put some lethal offensive lineups on the court.
Fox-Monk-Mitchell-Murray-Sabonis would be really fun to watch and would put up a ton of points if Mitchell’s catch and shoot threes continue to improve.
More than fair points. Even me who is skeptical and favor DDV over this option admits its intriguing offensively and is a reasonable compromise for the right amount if the Donte boat has sailed. I will always favor some more creators over pure scorers on the floor. That said there is an argument more passing isnt needed (I rarely like that argument but its true). To be fair he is able to make a read at times but his kinship is more Ricky Davis than Boris Diaw to say the least. Defensively is an issue but I also dont want to overrate guards on that end either.
Theres a chance the Kings could catch Monk on the ascent in being a plus starter but you want that risk reflected in the price. The full MLE is one thing, more than that the conversation gets a lot more granular.
And I agree with all of you points, here and below. I think we would still need to address wing defense, which is something we lose with DD not coming back.
But I do think Monk is a better creator and can put far more pressure on the defense than DD can. DD was more catch and shoot with the occasional “no no no no yes” moment of ball handling. Monk, while not the perfect fit for the roster necessarily, does give us one more pure scorer, which we lacked at times last year when Fox and Sabonis were on the bench. And if another move is in the works that moves Barnes, that need could be even more acute.
Kings will be crappy, no matter what.
Monk is a decent get on a team that nobody wants to be on.
My sexy take before it was news. I’m Nostradumbass
Sims approves of your receipts.
Sims who?
I could really use an answer to this. Who are any of us?
I do!
In a vacuum I would want Donte over Monk (albeit for what amount a distinction). We do need spacing but Keegan is in theory supposed to help with that and DD might have also added that in time. More broadly Donte’s defense and ability to navigate and play in-between scoring entities I find more appealing. Backroom drama aside, he is a more cohesive basketball player and considering the amount of decisions made under “fit” justification, I find it a bit contradictory of the Kings. More is at play it seems with Donte, that said doesn’t really paint the Kings in any better light.
From what is being reported thus far, it seems that Monk is seeking/expecting something better than the MLE. How much that played a factor of relinquishing Donte to UFA I find curious. Personally I find that worrisome considering the size of the MLE. Considering our lack of attracting Free Agents outright maybe not compromising the MLE is wise, but Monk it seems is expecting something north of 10 million per and that find that alarming. Especially as that was around or possibly higher than what was expected for DD.
It has rationale, and with the Donte drama, is a marginal zag with limited drop off. But the machinations in how and for what amount is a huge variable and still not enough to have not simply extended Donte.
That’s a steep price for an undersized sg who is a below average defender and is not a playmaker or ball handler.
That’s a steep price for an undersized sg who is a below average defender and is not a playmaker or ball handler.
Sounds like Buddy 🙂
Yup. But the Kings would be paying Monk less than Buddy so there’s that.
I think King’s fans have overestimated how good DDV is. He’s more of a role player than a starter. Sure the same could be said of Monk, I’d say he’s more of a sixth man instant offense type. But given he’s a deadly shooter he’d fit in fine with Fox at the 2. This FO just needs to continue to accumulate young talent and let Brown figure out the rest. I’d say Monk has more untapped upside than DDV…at this point DDV is who he is which IMO is a role player.
I agree. This is why I have been high on the idea of bringing in Monk. I think he’s about to make a big jump. Especially in the points per game department- Averaging at or around 20 a night. Adding more shooting is exactly what this team needs. I was a little apprehensive about Donte DiVincenzo as the starting SG for this reason. Not worried about that with Monk IFFFFFFF we can get him in here. The Kings are at least creating a very promising pairing with two guys who already have chemistry with each other that equaled a ton of success in the past. Would be really fun to watch if it happens and has the potential to be really fun to watch for several years if the idea of Monk Fox becomes a reality.
Let’s see. I’m not ruling out the kings retaining Donte and having Monk. Now that’s a recipe for more wins. Which is the whole point I think.
There were numerous stories on Wednesday about teams declining to offer a QO, and then still negotiating with the newly-freed UFA players. I don’t know if that’s what’s happening here, but it’s not far-fetched.
Well said and much agreed.
I’ve been fairly patient during the Monte era, he’s had a lot of work to do to overhaul the roster and just when he seems to have his feet under him he made what I consider a bit of a backward move with DDV. Monk at a reasonable rate would be acceptable, but agree I’d rather have DDV (resolved of drama, of course.)
I have been wanting Monk for a long time. The Fox draft I was hoping we’d take Monk with that 2nd first round pick (pick number 10) which Vlade turned into Justin Jackson and Giles,
Donovan and Bam went 13th and 14th, yikes.
I thought we’d snag Monk at some point from the Hornets as he was available.
A Fox/Monk backcourt reunion would be awesome.
Perhaps this is why DDV wasn’t tendered.
Fox
Monk
Barnes
Murray
Sabonis
Not a bad starting 5.
I would hope that Murray comes off the bench with someone like Collins or Markkanen starting. Let Murray get his feet wet with the 2nd unit and see how things progress.
That would be pretty cool. No doubt. Not likely to happen but it would be cool.
Trey Lyles in the starting 5 to begin the season is exactly what we should expect though. Just saying we should definitely prepare ourselves for that. With this being said, I don’t hate it. Is it my first or even second choice to have Trey Lyles starting at the 4 to start a season where this team is gunning for and expecting a playoff birth?… No, it absolutely is not. However, I do like Lyles game and have some faith in the guy after he proved himself late last season.
for comparison: Lyles in the starting 5 is much much less concerning than Harkless in the starting 5. I see the upside potential and fit with Lyles so I could convince myself (drink extra purple koolaid) that it’s going to work.
Seeing guys on the Kings play well in the last month of the season and then garnering more minutes the next season has been an issue in the past. Those games meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. If Lyles starts, that would be a terrible decision.
Agree, you don’t have the fourth pick sit to the start of games.
Markkanen is another young player I’ve been hoping the Kings would go after ever since the draft. Would certainly provide spacing playing with Fox and Sabonis. Couple that with Monk and that’s a lot of shooting around Fox and Sabonis, but a lot of bleeding on D.
The Bulgarian kid Sasha V is you Markkanen , probably a better team defender and close to equal shooter
I have wanted Monk since Jerry mentioned him along with Bobby Portis as possible FA gets at reasonable contracts . Made sense than and more so now .
Getting both of them would be an insanely great offseason
Portis was extremely pedestrian up until last season. Monk too. I would be absolutely terrified those 2 players come here and revert back to something closer to their means.
I do love a good Portis eyeballs-popping-out-of-his-head meme, tho.
I think getting Monk would be a net negative for the team because it would tend to perpetuate the bad habits that Fox has: (1) not playing consistently good defense, and (2) never playing off the ball.
Yeah, I’m really not whelmed by this potential pairing, especially from a defensive perspective.
I get the desperate need for a 3-pt shooter, and Monk is great at that, but more offense/less defense is not what this team needs.
That’s why I loved when Brown said everyone on the team would know their role. DDV was a great defender, who shot catch and shoot 3’s very well and off-dribble 3’s very poorly. If DDV would just be that defensive stopper/catch and shoot 3 shooter, that would fit our needs perfectly.
Yes, agreed.
Yeah. I would thought they would be at least be interested in a guy like Dort. Plays good defense, can definitely guard SG and wings and can shoot the 3 as well. Not as good as Monk but at least its respectable and the defense is really solid.
The Dort news is very interesting. Presti is too smart to let him walk and I think it means they lock him up under RFA on a decent deal. Or finagle something from a sign and trade which would still be a better alternative then him UFA next year. That said it definitely has some noise to it.
I would say Dort is considerably better than Monk and DDV by a decent margin. He is a plus starter at this point in my book considering his work on both ends. If 14 per could do it I think thats pretty good value on Dort. But I dont see an offer sheet in his future, its the Thunder coming to something or SnT.
I certainly didn’t see much, if any of this supposed “great” defense from Donte last year, or the prior one.
And ironically, if the team continues to play bad defense and loses games because of it, Fox will be on the trading block.
and should the analysis even start with a whether someone would be a good “pairing” with Fox? How about the fit with Sabonis? Does Monk play good tenacious defense on the ball, that prevents guys from getting deep into the paint where they draw fouls from Sabonis? How about his pick and roll defense?
Fox is going to be playing a lot more off the ball. It’s inevitable. Why? Because Sabonis is on the team. So… that part of the “perpetuated bad habits” isn’t part of the picture anymore.
in my opinion.
The defense, we can only hope that Mike Brown is a good cure for this.
In theory, you might be correct, but I think the past data supports the opposite prediction. When Fox insists on being a ball dominant pg on every possession, he does not have energy to play D. It’s losing basketball. I’d rather see Fox play with 100% effort on D, knowing that there are multiple playmakers and ball handlers who can share those duties on offense.
“Insists?” How do you mean?
Because he rarely plays off the ball, even if there’s another playmaker in the backcourt.
Certainly some truth to that. But for fun, let’s say that Fox has been told to play off-ball more, but won’t do it. Is that what you mean by “insists?” That he’s deliberately ignoring the coach by running point much of the time, and that’s not the game plan?
Well, I would surprised if the coaches told him to use opponents setting a pick as an opportunity to lean against them and get a breather.
Thanks for jumping in, but the topic was some apparent insistence by Fox to be ball-dominant on offense, with the implication that he’s not supposed to be doing that.
I welcome your thoughts on the topic at hand.
The topic had expanded to whether Fox was capable of not abiding by the coaches’ wishes, and I chimed in with my thoughts on the topic at hand.
But carry on. I didn’t want to wrestle the wheel from you or grab you by the clavicle.
This would actually justify the DDV non QO.
This a woefully inept attempt to make up for the DDV fiasco. If people here really think Monk is any good, you’re in for a long season.
I’m down for a Fox/Monk backcourt. They clicked at Kentucky & could see it working well here.
We need a culture shift here of true “team basketball”. We don’t have a superstar, so how these guys play together is what will make the difference.
Friendships, familiarity, knowing how to play into each other’s strengths, etc is key to team basketball & something I think we sorely need.
We need talent, above all. Monk isn’t moving needles.
I think you’re wrong. I believe that he will absolutely be a needle mover.
I for one would be super excited about a reunited Monk, Fox back court while they’re both at a turning point in their careers and both seemed poised to make another leap in their game. Might as well make the leap with a friend who you both arguably played your best basketball with.
I hope you are right, and kudo’s for the romanic view.
But personally I don’t give a shit if Fox would make a leap with his friend or his biggest enemy, as long as he makes that leap.
He played best when a tough love coach (Joerger) pushed his ass, so I am sceptical of letting him play with one of his buddies. At least it ain’t Buddy…
I am so tired of this org doing things to benefit Fox. He has not done enough to have that much pull.
i think too much weight is being placed on the fact that Fox and Monk are friends. It starts with basketball.
Right? I constantly see references to college and camaraderie, but with so many one-and-done’s, how long were they even on campus? Not a year. I don’t know how much tribal loyalty is accumulated in playing thirty games and attending a college for eight months. Maybe a lot, but sure seems weird.
The Kangz trap once again…..
More offense will cover for no defense.
Which has worked never for anyone in the NBA ever.
It has certainly gotten multiple teams deep into the playoffs, they have never won the ship but…I can produce winning and very fun basketball to watch
Some defense was played on all those teams. Show me a team with the Kangz defensive rating, and offensive rating that has ever made the playoffs.
Real playoffs play in doesn’t count.
Monk would be a nice addition, especially if Brown can get him to play defense. Candidly, I don’t really think he’s any better than Davis, but shooters are needed, and he’s a shooter.
I was thinking about this last night, and was hoping someone might have a specific answer. Let’s say they offer Monk five million from the MLE, in order to keep some dough free, in case another player gets added. Monk can likely get more than that, and I’d think the Lakers would be willing to offer more.
But he’s good friends with Fox. What if Monk agrees to come here, and Fox just gives Monk $4 million dollars, you know, as a “personal loan” or some other BS? I’d assume that would break some kind of rule, but I’d also be pretty surprised if some variation of this hasn’t happened in other situations.
Can anyone explain if anyone has been punished for something like this, or what the nature of the rules are that would prohibit it?
Fun hypothetical but these are crucial years for Monk. In establishing value for a deal in his prime as well as capitalizing on a nice run with LA. He proved last year as a low grade starter with some interesting underlying numbers and a few runs in the season as a very good offensive player. Add his draft equity, age and the FA market and the worst he could do is get someones full MLE I expect (which has been projected at $10.1 million). Thats well below starter money and at this point its hard arguing Monk is not at least a 6th/7th man add. Factor then the amount of teams that can offer a full MLE (I think 11) and the lackluster player pool I think him getting below that is really unlikely.
If I had to guess if he comes to the Kings I think it’s because he has been given more than the full MLE. Its not from a Fox connection it’s because we’ve promised to beat the going rate. Something in the low teens would be my guess.
If you’re right abt the Lakers only seeing him worth a portion of the MLE, it certainly behooves him and his camp to make Sacramento look like a possible destination.
A good point, although I get the impression that he wouldn’t mind getting back with his running mate. As ever, it’ll be about the money.
If you going to overpay, overpay for Patty Mills …..hes close to the so-hard “fit” with Fox everyone is getting tired of…
I can only judge by his playoff performance this past season but he looked washed. I don’t how he played in the regular season though since we don’t really have to worry about the playoffs around these parts.
That’s certainly one hell of an upgrade over Divincenzo. Hope it comes to fruition.
Not sure where this is coming from. Monk is in my opinion, an inferior player to DDV in every aspect of the game except 3pt shooting.
Monk is not that good.
Let’s go Monte Monk
Good move, IMHO. Replacing DDV with Monk would (in theory) open up the offense even more– run the ball through Sabonis, with Fox cutting and getting open off-ball and Monk running off screens and drifting into empty corners for Domas’s passes. I can see the logic here. Defense would be a concern (as always), but maybe the thinking is that Fox and Monk’s friendship and chemistry would lead to good communication/teamwork on the perimeter and elevate the defensive efforts of both. Overall– I’m buying this, so long as they don’t blow up the bank to sign him.
Latest Sasha Vezenkov news (today) from the Olympiacos reporter:
That would really be something if he decides to give it a shot. If he can play even passable defense, he adds a really nice dimension to what’s possible.
Not sure he can guard smaller quicker 3’s but seems to be a smart team defender. Seems to be more of a 4 defensively and 3 offensively
I feel like Monk would just be a cheaper version of Buddy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Coach Brown is gonna have to get blood from a turnip to turn that backcourt of Fox and Monk into a defensive duo.
If the plan is to replace DDV with Monk then dropping the QO was stupid. Monk is not an upgrade.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1542580983739858944?s=20&t=qAEobM7H6vSbsVGbBHI0og
It’s happening.
Hahaha! This will be awesome!
So long as he stays in the East. If KD comes out here, that’s another West playoff spot being taken most likely.
Oh, he’s coming West. Spurs, OKC, and Houston have everyone’s picks to offer in trade.
Suns for Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and all the picks?
Durant back to OKC would be amazing
Then OKC could use all of those picks to surround him with NBA level talent, lol
Suns is one of his rumored destinations along with Miami. Suns can offer Ayton, Bridges and draft capital for KD.
True, and they have all of their picks. It would take buy in from Ayton to make it happen.
Man I honestly think the Nets might usurp the Kings as the most soul crushing team in the league.
This basically is the Pierce Garnett hell they were in for years all over again. I don’t even know what you prioritize in a return considering the amount of outbound first. Picks are swappable and or outbound till 2027 via the Harden trade.
Just a colossal mess. I guess you construct around Simmons and some young pieces with upside because picks don’t seem all that worthwhile if you can’t tank yourself. My first call might be Zion but who knows.
Sean Marks stumbled into a nightmare. Franchises be wary handing the keys to stars.
Can’t let the players run the organization.
I think we all also owe Houston an apology, or should at least acknowledge how quickly things can change. People scoffed at The Harden return but this is why you trade for far out firsts. Maybe they knew crazy would ensue, maybe not but they get the last laugh regardless.
Considering their own outbound picks, there young core, this is breaking as good as they could have expected. Hard to think now they could have done much better even with the zilch that was attached In that deal.
Gawd, I’d forgotten about Simmons being there. He may as well take another year off if KD goes.
So funny. NBA off-season is always chalked full of drama
He needs to take the true hardest road: the Kings.
Seriously. How can he have a truly remarkable legacy without making a bad team into an NBA champion?
Or the guy that help the Kings finally end the streak of not making the playoffs.. That will be a big feather on his cap. Sadly, it’s a pipe dream at this point.
https://twitter.com/JandersonSacBee/status/1542609026277470208?s=20&t=qAEobM7H6vSbsVGbBHI0og
Kentucky reunion, eh? Weren’t the previous idiot owners looking at Louisville as a possible relocation spot?
If true, I hope Monk’s deal leaves some flexibility for the front office to utilize.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1542629132718247938?s=20&t=f8IqnxgokFPi8AYvzdSY3w
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1542629683086376961?s=20&t=f8IqnxgokFPi8AYvzdSY3w
I’ll support him now that he’s a King, but this is VERY disappointing. Monk is a definitive downgrade from DDV across the board with the exception of 3pt shooting and that is just barely (DDV= 35% on 5 3PA/Gm vs MM= 36% on 4.5 3PA/Gm); of the two MM is the worse ball-handler, creator, rebounder, and defender.
Monk just signed for two years, $19 million. Higher than I’d have liked, but I’m not mad.
Got him for two years $19M
Badge Legend