Guard Malik Monk has agreed to a two year, $19 million dollar contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to Damien Barling of ESPN 1320, and confirmed by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
A league source has confirmed to @ESPN1320 Malik Monk intends to sign with the Sacramento Kings on a 2 year, $19 million deal.
— Damien Barling (@damienbarling) June 30, 2022
Sources: Malik Monk is signing a two-year, $19M deal to join the Kings. https://t.co/spgbvRZspx
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Monk had a strong year last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 47.3% shooting and 39.1% from three (on 5.8 attempts per game) in 76 games. Before his one year stint in Los Angeles, he played four years in Charlotte after being drafted #11 by the Hornets in the 2017 draft. Monk teamed up with De’Aaron Fox for their single season at Kentucky in 2017, and the two showcased excellent chemistry together in Lexington.
Monk will provide the Kings with some much needed floor spacing; he shot 40.1% and 39.1% from deep over his last two seasons. Like almost everyone else on the Sacramento roster, he’ll have to step up and prove himself on the defensive end. But at his price tag, he’s a strong signing for a Kings team that needs his skillset moving forward. And if he and Fox can re-kindle their dynamism from their Kentucky days, they could be a fun guard combination moving forward.
Kings got their Buddy Hield replacement. But younger and cheaper.
Younger, cheaper, more athletic, better IQ!!
Unlike DD, does not need the ball and can knock down the 3 pt shot. All around better fit and on a 2 year deal for likely less than annual cost to resign DD for 4 years. Jordan Poole look and will give Coach Brown nice options on guard rotations.
And better
As long as you mean a way better replacement then you’re correct!
Laker fans are pissing and moaning and claiming he was their second-best player last season.
Which tells me it was a good deal.
Interesting. Who was their best player?
Some newly minted billionaire.
Dang, Austin Reaves must be doing well!
I loved Monk at Kentucky so badly. I wanted him at 10. Shows I’m not much of a GM.
He wasn’t my pick there, but he was in the “I’d be fine with that” group.
I had Mitchell at 10 that year. But they took Jackson and Giles, yikes
Let’s go
https://twitter.com/IamKDiddy/status/1542394338830716928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1542394338830716928%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Fvo3bf2%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dfalse
All of this, and yet I’m told Monk has no playmaking skills. How odd.
I haven’t been around much today, did anyone actually say Monk doesn’t have playmaking skills?
Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t a high level playmaker, but he isn’t deficient for a SG/tertiary ballhandler.
That’s fair. I don’t think he’s got any trouble making reads.
If/when he signs he’ll be the 3rd or 4th best playmaker on the current roster. Which would have been true even if DDV were to stick around. Sure, that’s a low bar, but still…
You looking for receipts?
Holy crap. That Fox guy looks good.
Wish he had the big fro again!
A roster spot opens, a roster spot closes.
Wondering if McNair floated the MLE at DiVincenzo, and he wanted more years/more money.
And the Lakers no longer have Malik Monk. Play some D, young man, and you’ll never pay for a drink in this town!
I like this. But we need to add a big defensive wing. Part of me still thinks a trade is coming, but we’ll see
Well, that didn’t take long.
Monte McNair: Too deliberate, I’ve heard.
Slow Mo.
I can’t understand why this comment isn’t purple…
Monte McNair is NOT a good GM
He lucked into the 4 pick, couldn’t really turn it into multiple assets, then drafted a player that fit into that slot or maybe a slot below.
He couldn’t lure a free agent, but got lucky that Fox got his old buddy to come play with him
He’s done zip that you or I or anyone off the street couldn’t do.
Get your Doritos and championship trophies back to the basement!
I’ll ask again:
What deals were available to McNair, whether proposed to him, or by him, that would have been worth moving the #4 pick?
There was no leverage with Detroit, since they didn’t care whether they got Ivey or Murray. A swap with Indy means you don’t get Ivey or Murray, and the deals offered by NYK and the Wiz were 100% garbage.
What is it that you know that the rest of us don’t?
God I love this movie.
I like Monk and he seems to be on the upswing which is good but man, this team is going to be so bad on defense unless they bring in some serious defensive help on the wing.
Like another commenter said on the last thread, if you’re building around Fox/Sabonis you’re going to be horrendous on D no matter what.
Not necessarily. Teams have put together passable defenses with worse. I mean, Sabonis isn’t even bad. He just doesn’t protect the rim like you would generally like. But he’s a smart, disciplined defender.
He was on a couple of very good defensive teams in Indy.
He was. But he’s also just a smart defender that puts in the effort. He’s not great, but he’s not a negative.
It’s also true that while Myles Turner may be overrated on the offensive end, he’s probably a bit underrated on the defensive end as well.
Yep, Turner is an excellent defender.
This team is built for the play-in game.
And has a two-year window to get there with Sabonis timeline.
Enjoy the one and done, Kings fans.
When you refer to Kings fans, does that include you? Or can we take that as an declaration of why your really here?
Mike Brown is responsible for defense. That is how this works. Dysfunctional roster incapable of defense means coach has to go.
Good deal. Moveable contract if need be in future and something comes up trade wise.
Look at the per 100 stats/efficiency numbers of Monk, Simons and Brunson last year. Similar age, sized combo guards. Monk a bit less combo but not a zero in playmaking. It’s not that dramatically different in lots of areas.
Is he as good as those guys? No. But two of those guys just signed 4 year deals for 100+ million. I think this is a nice win/ value for Monte for a player that could be on upswing.
If he is not and last year was a mirage it’s not a crippling contract.
Perfect comment. Enough said. End of comments thread.
Nicely put. Have to give MM credit, this is a value contract when you compare what guys like Brunson, Simons and Dort got. McGenius is trending and McDoofus is fading. We’ll see how the next few days go. A trade has to be in the works, you can almost feel it.
Not sure Simons and Brunson are significantly better.
You likely will be sure by seasons end .
Giving a guy like Brunson that kind of money is the kind of thing the Kings used to do.
Not a fan of this signing at all. IMO, this is a downgrade from DDV. I’m still hoping for someone like Jae’Sean Tate and a Martin twin.
I think you are wrong. Just my opinion.
Understood – there are two ends of the floor and DDV > Monk on the defensive end. That said, Monk has been at 40% and 39% from 3 over the past two seasons, while DDV checked in at 38% and 33% (to be fair, DDV was recovering from injury last year). Monk is a clear upgrade over DDV when it comes to stretching the floor, which is something this roster is in short supply of.
I liked DDV, but I get the signing of Monk. And I love the short-term investment.
It’s not a huge drop off on the defensive end. In my opinion.
Its not about opinions though…DDV has a career Def Rating of 108 vs MM’s career Def Rating of 115.
Offensively, DDV has a career Off Rating of 108 vs MM’s career Off Rating of 105.
DDV = 108 /108
MM = 105 / 115
DDV is a two-way player with better offensive efficiency than MM and is a much better defensive player.
You may like the signing, but MM is an inferior player in every aspect of the game. Pull up any advanced stats and you’ll see and that doesn’t even take into account that DDV was coming off an injury.
I was Disappointed with DDV last year. He was inconsistent and bad from distance and while his hustle and deflections were appreciated he had Buddy lapses when he was on the weak side. Also I think he has only shot well from 3 for 1 season. Monks D will be a problem but he will help spread the floor.
I suspect that you understand these numbers better than me, so I’m hoping you can answer a question.
Previously, I’ve asked whether the +/- numbers taken as-is, and averaged against the entire league, are actually indicative of much. Players on teams with terrible defenses invariably have bad numbers, and players on good defensive teams have good ones.
So my question, is there any actual value in comparing the +/- numbers for players other than those on their team? You have a more representative sample set, since it provides a far more direct comparison, because the teammates are the ones responsible for the team +/-.
Thanks for any and all who give this consideration.
This is such a non sensical way to use stats that aren’t apples to apples. DDV played with god damn Giannis…defensive rating is heavily influenced by team.
Last year DDV had a 114 def rating with the Kings. Highest of career. Monk career 115. Did DDV suddenly become a worse defender with the Kings? Prolly not, just surrounded by crappier defenders.
Monk struggled big time his first couple years. He was 19 as a rookie. DDV was 22. What’s DDV look like as a 19 year old rookie?
Not much of a fair comparison when doing career averages at this point based on starting points and situations.
DDV likely a better defender, but damn that’s some selective stat picking to try and create a narrative.
There is no way of comparing different players on different teams so by stating that its not apples to apples is unfair in that its impossible to do.
In the same way that MIL is above-average on Def, SAC was way below-avg on Def, essentially washing each other out. Using career averages is best way to compare without getting into the weeds.
You say don’t cherry-pick numbers yet you want to throw out the first few years of Monk’s career because they were different ages…come on man! That’s crazy.
But are even career averages better indicators?
The NBA has had more than a few teams with terrible defenses that were able to outscore opponents consistently enough to win a lot of games. A player who spent time with a team like that would be likely to have pretty terrible defensive +/-.
Of course, having terrible numbers there is far more common with players on bad teams, but to my ignorant-of-statistics ass, I don’t believe +/- has any use beyond comparing teammates.
Career averages are better than nothing, especially if the players in question have been on several different teams; but you’re correct, the net ratings are not ideal other than comparing teammates.
So………………
my opinion does matter. Sweet!
I think a number of commenters have posted on the mild absurdity of the original analysis. I guess I’ll let those speak for itself and remain crazy.
Selective stats are awesome , I heard today that our inflation was not as bad as a lot of other countries… which is correct there are like 7 of the G20 worse than us..
DRtg is highly team and lineup dependent. His 108 career DRtg rating is:
So, did he suddenly forget how to play defense in November of 2020 (COVID probably. Amirite?) or is he either not as good a defender as we think, or is DRtg not really measuring individual defense that well?
I don’t actually know the answer, but I do think it’s reasonable to say DRtg isn’t measuring DDV (or anyone’s) defense too well.
That’s not what I’m seeing.
Last year
And I’ll point out that defensive advanced stats, and especially DefRTG are HIGHLY team dependent. So DDV putting up a better dRTG while sharing the court with Jrue, Giannis, and Lopez doesn’t say a whole lot.
Don’t get me wrong, DDV is definitely the better defender, but the gap isn’t all that big, and Monk is a significantly better offensive player.
I agree about Def Rtg being a team stat but there aren’t a lot of other stats to use for wings & guards (much easier to do for bigs with FG% comparison against Player A vs against rest of league).
Comparing Monk’s best career year versus DDV coming off an injury and getting traded mid-season isn’t really a good comparison either.
Monk is poor defender and the rose-colored glasses seem to being passed-around today.
He IS a poor defender. Personally, I think the gap is less about overrating Monk’s defense than it is about overrating DiVincenzo’s. DDV is roughly an average overall defender. Personally, I think the Monk’s advantage on offense is greater than DiVincenzo’s advantage on defense. And I think Monk has more upside.
Don’t get me wrong, neither of them are big impact players. I don’t think either will/would solve the Kings problems. Without seeing how FA plays out, I think this initially looks like a decent deal that has marginally upgraded the roster.
Again, I’m not going to throw a parade or throw myself down the stairs until I see how the whole offseason plays out.
Good analysis
Maybe. but I don’t he or his agent wanted to be here.
The numbers for DDV will be skewed a bit as he played with some of the best defenders in the league during his entire career, except for a small run here with us. Not saying he is a bad player and Monk is better, IMO, they are a similar caliber players, just with different skill sets. I like them both, but kind of shuffling pool deck chairs around and nice 4th/5th options on the floor.
But its not just defense that DDV was better at, he was a better initiator, rebounder, and his 3pt shot didn’t trail Monk by much at all. He shoots 35% on 5 3PA/gm whereas Monk shot 36% on 4.5 3PA/gm. Not too mention that DDV shot 37% on nearly 6 attempts per game during his time with Sac
Why give up so much of the other aspects of basketball for a slightly better 3pt shooter? I don’t understand the love for Monk other than the fact that he was the only bright spot for the Lakers last year and he had himself a career year.
I think that you have to look at Monk’s last two seasons, where he really blossomed from deep. Basically a 2-5 guy over the past two seasons. DDV is about a 35% guy on less volume. There would be a lot of players between Monk and DDV is you listed 3s by volume or percentage.
The same question that you ask regarding the “love for Monk” could be asked for DDV. He has had one reasonably good season, and it was a couple of years ago while playing next to the likes of Giannis and Middleton.
And from my perspective, I don’t know that I would describe it as “love.” It’s a nice contract in term and not an albatross in rate. He has the potential to fill a big need for the Kings. I have been known to lose sleep over love. I’m not going to lose any sleep over this.
If Monk is signed as a SG coming off the bench, then fine, but if he supposed to start, then I am extremely disappointed.
You’re disappointed. I’m ecstatic.
Im likely way to high on Monk. I can admit that. With that said, he’s been on the upswing for a couple years now and I am one who believes he’s going to be even better this coming season. Maybe I’m wrong but I hope not. I’m sure you and all kings fans will agree on that HOPE. At worst I think it’s an excellent gamble to make on Monte’s part and the contract length is excellent.
Also, DDV was going to cost more, and I heard a rumor he’s a bit of a jerk.
If DDV gets a deal north of $15MM for multiple years, then no thank you.
Of course the price matters, which is why this deal isn’t team-braking as its a reasonable length and amount and Monk is still surprisingly young.
I just don’t see this as an upgrade at the SG position over DDV or many of the other options still out there.
Dante might not even get the taxpayer MLE at the rate things are going.
I don’t think teams are as high on him as we think.
100%. I wouldn’t be surprised at him getting something that is similar to the qualifying offer the Kings didn’t give. Maybe for 2 years.
I think turning down that 3/30 offer from Milwaukee is looking like a serious mistake.
DDV wouldn’t have been traded for basically nothing if he had a lot of value.
Donte might very well be back in a kings uniform so get ready for that.
Sure seemed that DDV was a bit of ball killer when on the floor last year and would jack lots up off balance and out of the flow 3’s. Maybe it was a poor offensive scheme, but seemed to be doing his own thing a lot on offense. Granted he was aggressive on D, but believe Monk’s a better fit at least on the offensive end.
Monk commands attention on the perimeter. I think teams allowed DDV to shoot. Monk’s stats on D not as bad as expected.
and I think cheaper than DDV (we will see)
Size may be an issue
DDV or Monk?
I think the contract that DDV gets will be telling. I get some fans loved DDV, but I just didn’t see it with him, and this goes back to his time with the Bucks. I think if he embraced D more and accepted more of a lesser role on O he would be a much more valuable player.
Tate just re-upped with Houston on 3 year, $22 mil deal
Tate re-signed with Houston
I like the twins
Love this move and especially at under 10 mil per year.
Now go get some perimeter defense! GPII or Otto Porter would be nice.
Absolutely love this. Huge upgrade from Donte. Nicely done Monte.
Huge?
Upgrade but not huge .
Huge Upgrade…just young.
What’s his status at the end of the 2 years? Is he RFA or UFA?
Good question. Don’t think specifics like that have been reported yet but I could be wrong. Hopefully RFA.
Monk will never be an RFA ever again, he will always be an UFA from here on out. That RFA ship has sailed for Monk once Charlotte turned down his QO.
Same with Donte DiVicenzo for that matter.
Guru, since we still hold early bird rights, do we still have enough cap space to sign DDV?
A) the Kings have full Bird rights on DDV, and yes they can absolutely resign him. The question is a matter of negotiation, not whether they could legally resign him.
All the QO does is make you an RFA, it has nothing to do with your full Bird rights (that’s what the cap hold is actually about) and whether or not you resign with the team.
Thank you. Keeping you busy today.
No problem. Rather answer your question than see constant misinformation get spread around as it’s so often wont to do this time of year. 🙂
My “eye test” DDV gambled a lot on D, but was disruptive. More physical and bigger than MM
MM was taken seriously on the perimeter by opponents. They knew they had to guard him. More of a playmaker.
MM fits better with Fox on drive and kick but a lesser defender and rebounder.
We will see on salaries.
Right now- a lateral move.
Don’t you lose bird rights when you recind the QO and release the cap hold?
Don’t let reality get in the way.
Nope. QOs and Bird rights have nothing to do with each other. It’s an easy assumption to make and I’ve made that mistake in the past.
All a QO really does is make a player RFA. Other than the specific contract terms of a QO (which teams and players rightfully avoid at all costs). I recently discovered that Bruce Brown signed his QO in Brooklyn last season, and that was indeed an unique situation. In most cases it’s avoided signing the QO at all costs. The real purpose of a QO is to encourage teams and players to negotiate new deals.
Now as to the why. Bird rights are specifically accrued over time (that’s why it takes 3 years to get full Bird rights, 2 years for Early Bird rights and a year for non Bird rights) and that’s also why maximum compensation is tied to full Bird rights.
Now, as best as I can tell, the Kings have not renounced the Bird rights to DDV. Since they won’t get cap room by doing so, they likely won’t. This allows the FO to pursue S&T’s as well. It’s important to remember you can only S&T your FAs.
Hoping this makes sense.
So just to be clear– by withdrawing the QO, does that clear the cap hold? Or would they need to do a separate step of renouncing Bird rights to clear it?
No.
Correct.
He’d be a UFA
UFA and the Kings would have Early Bird rights with the ability to pay him 175% of the 2nd year salary. (The average salary — 105% of salaries league wide — would almost assuredly be a smaller number than the 175% total. It’s whichever number, the AVG salary or 175%, is greater is the high number you can make using EBRs.) Assuming it’s an even contract (which is the highest likelihood), the two years should look like this:
Year 1: 9.5M
Year 2: 9.5M
After that, they could offer Monk a 4 year roughly 70.5M deal. I doubt they would, but you never know.
Year 1: 16625000M
Year 2: 17290000M
Year 3: 17955000M
Year 4: 18620000M
This works out to 70,490,000$M. Keep in mind this also does not include option years or dollar guarantees in any of the years. That’s always negotiable between team and player.
Good info Guru. Can you clarify why Kings would have early bird rights? I thought I read you had to play for a team for 3 years? Is that not the case in certain situations? I’ve always been curious about this when considering deals.
Excellent question Wiz, and it’s actually a pretty simple answer as it turns out. First, here’s a link to that Coon guys FAQ if you prefer that.
There are actually 3 sets of “Bird” rights. I think we know who they were named after.
After a single season, you get what is called non-Bird rights, and it’s pretty limiting. You can only sign a player to 120% of his previous season salary. Mo Harkless was signed using these. You can technically sign a player to 4 years using non Bird rights (which is an exception, as are all Bird rights, I might add), but nobody in practice does. It’s only realistically used as a mechanism to pay a player a year or two if you’re a capped out team.
After two seasons, you get what is called Early Bird rights. There are multiple ways to resign players using EBR’s (175% or the average salary which is 105%– whichever is greater). But regardless, you can only sign a player for up to 4 seasons. Which is what that table is showing that you responded to Wiz.
Last, there is full Bird rights, and if you want to know how players like, say, John Collins, get a 5 year deal without getting a max deal? Atlanta had full Bird rights on JC. You get full Bird rights by staying with a team, or more accurately, not being waived over a 3 year period OR switching teams as a Free Agent over a 3 year period either. You do keep your full Bird rights if you are traded. The only way to get maximum dollars (5 year max, super max, rookie max extension) is to have full Bird rights. The only way to get a term of 5 years is to have full Bird rights.
That’s the simplest way I can think of to explain it. Hope this helps. 🙂
Much appreciated sir 👍
Don’t call him sir, it only encourages him more. A stabby with assurance is a scary thing 😉
It’s basically the same sort of situation the Kings had with Holmes, right?
Yeah but Monk can make a lot more cash than Holmes could due to having a much higher base salary.
Why are you using 4% off first year raises instead of 8%? Thanks.
Cuz I’m an idiot and miscalculated. Nothing to see here citizens. Move along. 😊
Year 1: 16,625,000$$M
Year 2: 17,955,000$$M
Year 3: 19,285,000$$M
Year 4: 20,615,000$$M
That comes out to 74,480,000$$M. An 18.62M AAV.
Hooray!
Definitely an upgrade from Donte.
Based off the contracts that other better but not great players are getting, this Monk contract seems like a steal.
Anfernee Simons getting 4/100
Dort 5/87
Bradley Beal getting 50 million a year and hasn’t won shit.
That’s how crappy franchises stay crappy. Overpaying they’re homegrown talent.
Well thankfully the Kings haven’t….
Are we really comparing Fox’s deal to that deal Beal just signed? Seriously Spackler?
Both overpaid but Beal much moreso. Both horrible contracts IMO.
Beal has been an All Star multiple times and played on 4 playoff teams . Fox , zero on both .
I agree Beal is better but big difference in contracts:
Fox: 5/163
Beal: 5/251
Based off the contracts and age I’d take Fox even though Beal is better.
Speaking of overpays, Team Bagley 3/37!
Not comparing them. But Fox is a (big) overpay.
Beal is a much bigger overpay. He is getting Luka/Giannis money.
Not even. Total fair market price on his contract. If he has a good couple years it quickly becomes team friendly, based on some of these other contracts that are being handed out in the marketplace.
FWIW, Beal is the 5th highest paid player per year now. Fox is 25th. In the same area as Bam, Kevin Love, Hayward, Wiggins, Randle Lowry, etc.
Is it just me or is paying Booker and KAT 58 mill a year …… not good?
Monk becomes the 2nd youngest player on the current full salary roster, 7 months older than Davion Mitchell. Queta is younger if the Kings pick up his option. Murray is younger once they sign him.
Just as an FYI (unless something has happened in the last hour or so), Queta is currently a FA of the Kings.
But, jeesh, if Monk has some upside? This could be a great value signing we’ve all been critical of the Kings never getting.
Yep. Monk’s size is concerning, but he can shoot. I like him as a younger, smarter, cheaper Buddy Hield.
Major money deals abound: Jokic for $264M/5, Booker $214M/5, Beal signed a new 5 year deal.
The Kings signing Monk as their big news- promised starter? – for $20M seems like the team is in another League altogether.
Is there a wing in the wings?
Well I mean they made a 5 year 160 million dollar extension just 2 years ago.
You can agree or disagree on the player but it’s not like this regime hasn’t made big commitments.
The Kings are in another league. It hasn’t had a player the caliber of Jokic and
Booker since the early 2000s, and if the team did, it would never pay those deals. There is no reason to believe that the Kings could ever construct a great team and keep the players together for any period of time.
Heh.. Monk leaves lakers for the Kings while Jones leaves kings for the Lakers 🤣
Like this move.
But we lost Damian Jones to Lakers, which I didn’t like.
Richaun is staying at this point. And that’s not a bad thing.
Looks like we’re getting Simmons 😀
no thanks
So the Kings are gonna take a career bench player, make him a starter, along with their rookie, and push for the playoffs?
Good luck.
I don’t think that they are going to push for the playoffs with what they have at the moment, but Monk, a full season of Sabonis, a healthy and engaged Fox (always a huge if) and Brown could push this group in the high 30s in wins. 17 straight years but an 8 game improvement. Woot!
No, no, no, everything is terrible, and the only thing that will stop it is signing Kevin Durant to the bi-annual, or the franchise closing up.
Oh, they’re gonna push.
Play-in, not playoff…
If Monte can still swing a deal for Collins, things could get interesting.
I was thinking he might be able to get Huerter or Bogi on the cheap with the Hawks now having Murray.
Either would be a good get.
BoBo won’t even be ready when the season starts because of…
Go ahead. Guess.
His knee is injured again, and he had surgery on it barely two weeks ago. Gotta be better ways to spend eighteen million dollars.
Huerter is seven years younger, a far better athlete, and is locked in on a good deal for another four seasons.
I didn’t realize Bogi just had surgery. There are a lot of miles on those legs.
I’d love to poach Huerter. A small lineup of Fox, Monk, Huerter, Barnes, and Sabonis could be lethal, but they’d need to score 140 a night to outscore their opponent.
He played in a lot of playoff games the last two seasons and very well . Cheap shot all the way
Ah, did not realize Bogi hurt his knee.
Still thankful McNair had the smarts and balls to not re-up Bogi. That was always headed towards a lot overpaid due to the injuries of Bogi. He misses 25 games a year, and isn’t a star.
Of course, he DID re-up another guy for even more money that misses 25 games a year and also isn’t a star. Though perhaps a bit closer.
Are you talking about Holmes? (Obviously not.)
Well, yeah, I get your point about Fox I suppose. But I think many of the games missed the last two seasons were for other things besides injuries.
I’d be pretty surprised if Fox missed 25 games this year.
Which is worse when you have your franchise guy missing games for things other than injury.
I suppose if a player is to miss games, I would prefer that he wasn’t injured, since that means he would be available sooner, but I’m told that I have a bizarre worldview.
If the organization thought that sitting Fox at the end of a lost season, so that younger players and new acquisitions could get a meaningful audition, I can’t imagine how that’s worse than Fox being injured.
Understandable that he reupped Fox. Not sure what the problem is.
Well, I mean, the general problem is that Fox’s contract is an overpay unless he makes a couple leaps. The bigger problem is that when a bad team ties up lots of roster space on a non-elite player, much less a non-elite one-position player that demands specific complementary players to maximize his impact, it makes it harder to build a successful team. Now, I agree that it was understandable. I don’t really think they had a great option. But make no mistake, having Fox on a large contract presents a unique team building challenge.
Factor in all of that. and that the Kings were flush with shooting guards at the time.
(This would be an excellent time to suggest that McNair lacks foresight, because two years later, the team needs shooters. Just have fun with it!)
BoBo has, for years, refused to skip playing in Europe during the offseason, and his knee has taken on, what is likely permanent damage. This is the same opinion I had two years ago, and five years ago.
Atlanta owes him $36 million before they get free of his deal. People can pillory Hield’s contract, but for better or worse, the man showed up ready to work.
Yep. Buddy is at least available. That’s the good news. The bad news is sometimes you wish he weren’t.
Agree with you on BoBo. But I was never that upset he walked to begin with. And McNair would be heavily criticized for paying so much money to two non stars. Rightfully so.
It was a difficult move, but it was the right call.
Based on the money Monk is getting (which is hardly a bad deal for Sac to begin with), this leaves room for the Kings to potentially sign Neemius Queta to a 3/4 year deal where the Kings sign him to a minimum’ish level contract for more than just 2 years.
And if it’s true the Kings are bringing Richaun Holmes back due to trade market, that could be an interesting and somewhat intriguing team. I’m not super in love with the idea of bringing Holmes back…..but…..that said…..it could work if everyone is on board with the idea.
Last but not least, I like Monk at least for the offensive side of the ball. Much work has to be done defensively, and, well, I’m not convinced that wasn’t true anyway. I’m okay with the signing in the aggregate.
PG: Fox, Mitchell
SG: Monk, Davis, Holiday
SF: Barnes, Harkless
PF: Murray, Holmes, Lyles
C: Sabonis, Metu, Len
Interested to see what happened with Sasha Vezenkov and Neemius Queta as well. That could be your 15 man roster before trades. Of course it’s also true the roster goes up to 20 roster spots in the off-season so it might not be a major issue about whom takes what roster spot at this point.
That roster is good for 36 wins and the 12th seed in the West.
Same as it ever was.
I agree, the needle hasn’t budged much if at all. The team is certainly funner with Fox and Monk playing together again.
Definitely fun to watch with a legit starter at the 2 and 4 this season but definitely won’t be much better.
Of course, neither of those guys have really proven themselves to be legit starters.
I thought the roster last year underachieved a great deal and could have been a 41 win team with Luke Walton. Still do.
There’s no question I think there’s more talent here than you do. And I think it’s a huge bonus you don’t really have a bunch of super young players you are trying to teach the league this season.
I want to see how the roster really shakes out and if there is any trades because the Mid Level (barring a lot of unforeseen cap space) was just used on Monk and probably to sign Queta to a multi-year deal.
Yeah, I too am assuming Monk is slotted into that MLE spot. Not much else the Kings can do other than the trade market.
They can sign Queta to a 3-4 year deal wiht the rest of the MLE.
They could re-sign DDV, still, using his FBR’s.
And then, as you note, trades. There’s some tradeable pieces IMO. Even if Holmes doesnt have a ton of suitors today doesn’t mean that will be the case over the season. Especialy if he bounces back and shows himself well as a 3rd big man.
We have Murray! Wins will come because I have way too high of expectations for the savior! In all sincerity if we could a Huerta type player I think this team is 41 wins. Sabonis m, Fox and Barnes are good nba players
There are a few one year deals in there that are prized at trade deadline time.
But I would like to see another move now, maybe using those one-off contracts or even Holmes or a FA signing- a Martin twin perhaps?
Off season success also depends on if Sasha decides he want to “try the NBA”. and becomes a rotational piece.
As an aside I would list Holmes as a center and Metu as a PF.
How long is the wait period before trading Metu or Lyles?
and what do the Kings have left- just the bi annual exception?
I think when an option is picked up like Lyles and Metu, there is no waiting period to trade them
Our boy Bagley re-upped with Det at 3/37 lol.
Insane money being doled out. What’s Bagley actually worth, 2/12?
That’s 2nd pick in the draft potential they are paying for. Very Coke Machine.
I actually had to check because I thought you were lying to mess with us. Just, wow.
Detroit might be joining us if they keep that up. That’s a deal Vlade would love to give out. Very Z-Bo of them.
3/37 isn’t going to hurt them.
Ain’t gonna help them either.
So Monk gets 2 years at 9.5 million and Marvin Bagley gets 3 years at 12.3 million?!?!
how the hell does that make any sense? Sorry Detroit
That second overall potential signing. Jabari Parker made a lot of money he didn’t deserve too.
Hollinger brutal towards MBIII: “He might even inadvertently help their long-term outlook if he plays as he did in Sacramento and keeps them in prime tanking position.”
Stay bitter about Bags, best fans in the NBA!
Nothing to be bitter about, it’s not Bagley’s fault Vlade took him over Luka. Perhaps be bitter towards Vlade.
I swear, I’ve been saying that verbatim since 2018.
I like signing. He doesn’t defend well, but few on the roster do. Maybe Brown can coach them all up. We’re still short at least one impact player. Maybe SA can be persuaded to send Bogdanovic back.
I don’t know why I thought BB was part of the Murray deal. Replace SA with ATL.
We need a new JR podcast STAT.
It seems like they are waiting for some smoke to clear before dropping another pod. Makes sense to me were that the case.
WRONG. They should be recording at least two pods a day for the next 2-3 weeks.
What we want and what we get are two different things. I mean, I agree with you. I just think Tony and Will have other things to do. And Jerry has earned the right to enjoy his retirement. 😊
Yep, let the first few days settle and then it’s going to be fun hearing Jerry’s take.
Heard him on Duece and Mo pod yesterday . Was really good and entertaining as usual .
Jerry is the best, and that’s that.
Question, are we still allowed to sign and trade DDV? I wouldn’t mind keeping him, but I have a feeling he might get squeezed.
Also, Clippers have a glut of forwards, and just lost their backup C. What do you all think of a Morris/Mann for Holmes+2nd rounders and fillers.
If I’m the Kings I’m meeting with Jalen Smith and giving him the BAE.
So Kings still have ~$9m in cap space, the full MLE, and the BAE, plus a nearly balanced rotation of 12 solid NBA players (assuming Murray is who he looks like).
C: Sabonis/Holmes/Len
F: Murray/Lyles/Metu
F: Barnes/Holiday/Harkless
G: Monk/Davis/Ellis
G: Fox/Mitchell
A few too many bigs and a need for a big wing and 3rd string PG, but this looks pretty good to me. Mike Brown is a good coach. At this point I’m just hoping for a team that I want to watch 82 games a year
Isn’t the MLE for Monk? I think we only have thr BAE, and like a min salary slot from the MLE available.
I could be very wrong but when the renounced DDV they went under the cap which means the BAE (or maybe the MLE) isn’t an option anymore. I am interested to know where the Kings stand as of right now though
I could be wronger but I thought they didn’t renounce DDV so they could use the full MLE and then renounce DDV and go under to get some cap room. But then, as reference, I thought grape juice was bourbon this morning.
Yep, you’re right.
Non-taxpayer MLE – $10.36M ($9.5M for Monk used)
BAE – $4M approx. (not used yet)
Who is the best player that you can get for $4M?
I would like to suggest that the BPA at that price is me.
I feel pretty comfortable with the depth at all those positions except backup sf.
I’d love Morris to get 25 min a night here with Barnes and Murray at the SF/PF spots.
It would solidify this roster to 2 deep of quality NBA players at all 5 positions. Although losing Holmes would drop our backup center depth to Len, I think Len at canker center > Holiday backup SF
Metu can play center also.
Trade rumor around(3 team trade). Kings give up Barnes, Holmes and a 2023 first round and get back OG Anunoby and Kendrick Nunn. That takes care of your big wing, who also plays defense and your third string PG. What do you think.
No. Not giving up Barnes and a pick for an often injured OG.
OK. What about the Clippers Norman Powell. A little short on rebounds but is shooting 40% from 3 I wouldn’t worry too much. Yes he can play defense.
He’s a decent player, but he wouldn’t come cheap and doesn’t really bring anything new to the Kings.
I would go for that trade in a heartbeat, if it’s actually being talked about.
We get much younger with Anunoby (only 24), and although we’re giving up a future first rounder, the Kings are essentially receiving a first round pick (2017, 23rd overall) in return, and a known commodity.
Plus I think Barnes/Holmes need to be shopped, but that’s a whole different story.
As the Kings stand now, they’re still a 35 win team.
I think it’ll be a fun team. It remains to be seen how competitive but I think they might surprise some people. I think Sabonis, Fox, Monk, and Mitchell will all have an awesome year.
Murray is gonna ball out and should start for this team instantly.
Btw does anybody see a little Anthony Davis in his game?
Only when he’s on the bench grimacing.
Murray has maybe half of AD’s athleticism so I don’t see them as comps in anyway.
Barnes, Murray and Harkless are big wings.
The Kangs approve of this deal.
I won’t sign on until the Kodoses have weighed in.
I like it. He’s being brought here for his shooting/scoring. You got Davion and Keon for defense. It’s like creating
GiambiKlay Thompson in the aggregate.Id be shocked if Keon plays hardly at all this year, but this amused me.
The defense might be questionable. Or it might work. Defending in today’s league is a tough task with how little contact is allowed and how deep guys shoot. Mike Brown might be better off using team defense/zone concepts to mask the individual deficiencies.
Double dipped by getting a better shooting guard, and taking him from the LA.
I like this pickup, a lot. I think Donte didn’t really vibe with the team, from the players to the front office, so they moved on from him. It sucks that it wasn’t working out, I really liked him. This move though, makes us much more potent and dangerous offensively. Monk is a dude that can put them up quick. He pairs well with Fox, and they already have chemistry.
GP2 to Portland….
Blazers are gonna be nice this year.
Pretty good signing, but frankly would’ve rather kept DDV. If DDV indicated he wanted far more money than Monk, I get this move, but that doesn’t change the fact we don’t get better by subtracting the one and adding the other. The Kings still need more talent and I hope they find a way to get some more this FA period.
That’s what I’m thinking, is that there were preliminary discussions between the org and DDV, and that he wasn’t satisfied with a number in neighborhood of $10 million per. I’d guess that he was looking for three years, minimum, at a higher salary. Can’t blame a guy for asking for what he wants.
I do like what DDV brings, but Monk’s deal is so team-friendly that I don’t know what DDV might have accepted that would offer the Kings that type of flexibility.
And as been said, he may end up back here, anyway.
What number will Monk wear in Sacramento? Maybe 0 would look better. Since Fox was 0 in Kentucky and Monk was 5, it should be the other way around now. Assuming DiVincenzo isn’t coming back.
wearing 0 recently has not turned out well (Hali and DDV, or 00 for WCS). Wearing 0 almost guarantees you won’t be around for very long. Please choose 2 as that will be the position he will be playing.
I’m pretty sure he can’t wear 2.
Oh yeah, Mitch got that hung in the rafters.
Hali at 0 wasn’t bad. We just traded him. Fox could go back to 0 and Monk could then take 5 if they wanted to relive their college days. That would work for Vivek as Fox fans would need to buy a new jersey. 😝
Yeah, Hali was fine, just got traded when wearing 0.
Looks like Monk will wear 0
Welcome to Sac!
I just got done reading The Ringer. You know, America’s Most Savvy East Coast and LA-Centric Hipster Sports Hot Take Site (TM). They said the Monk signing was… one of the 5 ‘most intriguing’ moves!!! But the details are better! They said he will bring back ‘fun’! That was my exact thought last night. Guess I should have posted my thoughts then…. Seriously, the last time the Kings were fun was the game before Shump left. Let’s pack away our analytics and obsession with salaries and GM’s and hypothetical trades, forget about Vlade, Luka’s dad, and Lose Walton and root for a team that’s fun. Have a good summer.
Lost interest in the The Ringer a while ago.
Does anyone else have the issue where there’s hundreds of comments in an article visible from the Home Screen but once the article opens the number of comments shrinks dramatically? I’ve missed out on so many current threads because of this issue and I’m not sure what’s going . This thread for example says ~190 comments but when I click into the article it only posts 9 of them.
I had that issue when I was viewing an article and was not logged in.
I constantly have this issue, although logging in can help it doesn’t always fix the issue
Thanks! After logging in to comment it seems to have worked!
Thanks!
This site’s commenting system tends to have a cacheing issue. Clearing my cache usually solves the problem for me (easy way to do this is to hold shift and click the refresh button).
Not sure if there is an easy way to do that on a mobile device though.
Thank you!
I have many problems like that with this site. Also constantly having to log back in.
The site host for STR (SB Nation) was much better. Hoping TKH upgrade at some point.
Jalen Smith now?
What about Jalen Smith is intriguing?
He’s a young, presumably cheap floor stretching big that can rebound and block shots. Most of what you want next to Sabonis. The problem is he isn’t switchable due to poor lateral movement, so it’s harder to put Sabonis on the C and have his big partner play against modern NBA 4s. But he’s well worth what I expect him to sign for, IMO.
@TheKingsHerald Team, I know the first article tends to be the open thread but maybe can create some NBA Free Agency open threads? Post big NBA news and everyone can comment on the open threads for kings discussions/general comments. Then posts like this can stay mostly about the player/specific event (e.g. Monk signing with the Kings)
I’ve said the same since the draft. Don’t know what’s so difficult about having a daily open thread during high news times like these with the draft and FA.
Looking at the positives here: Monk is a great shooter, he’s better than Justin Holiday, he’s only signed for two years, and a fully engaged Fox is better than a disengaged one. And being extremely optimistic I could say that maybe the new coach can make everyone play defense.
I hope you’re right, but this org needs to stop making decisions centered around Fox.
Yeah, I left out the negatives. Good thoughts in, bad thoughts out. Doing the bull dance, feeling the flow.
Stealing something from the Lakers makes this contract worth twice as much sentimentally.
Huerter coming to the Kings for Harkless, Future first round pick and 2d player according to Woj tweet. I’ll check the veracity.
According to Woj tweet, deal also include holiday.
According to Chris Kirschner
The first-round pick the Hawks received is lottery-protected in 2024, top-12 in 2025, top-10 in 2026 and then turns into two seconds if it hasn’t conveyed yet.
He just signed a four-year rookie extension for 65 million
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1542918465098584066?s=20&t=KJ1Som193m-RenvGVXAVSg
Damn, that’s a nice get!
I like Huerter, but that pick better be pretty decently protected.
According to Chris Kirschner
That is very lightly protected in the sense that the chance the pick conveys close to the protection range being high. IDK about any of this. I see why they aligned the outbounds with Sabonis. Post 24, If he leaves you blow it up and are in the protection range, if he resigns you likely are decent and conveying early on out of the lottery (if you hadnt conveyed in 24). But the chance you kind of split the difference and give up a lottery pick is conceivable.
Can settle in the Kings circumstance being willing to part with a pick. One that even has a good chance being in the late lottery. But hard to think you couldn’t got a bit more of an immediate boost in terms of the player returning.
My expertise is thin, but the protections seem to be more substantial than I would describe as “light.”
There’s no chance that Sacramento loses a top ten draft selection under the circumstance. That feels nice and secure.
Yeah, I have no problem with this at all. The reality is that the Kings need talent now to avoid losing Sabonis in two years. They’re going out and getting talent. I don’t think Heurter plus Monk plus Murray necessarily pushes them to the playoffs, or even the playin, but it does make them better with young players who seem like they’re on the upswing, without dragging the whole org down for years to do it. This is realistically about the best we can expect, given the asset base they started with. I wish this had all happened faster, but I don’t have any complaints about any of the moves this offseason. They actually have more than my passing interest for the first time in a few years.
I think so too. See ScrumhalfVinny post for the protection on the 1st, pretty decent as protection schemes go.
Holiday
Thnx!
What do you think this means for Davis?
I don’t like red velvet much as a cake, but I sure as hell love it in the rotation!
I wanted this so I hope it works out.
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