According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a two-year, $19 million agreement with Malik Monk, one of the positives of the Los Angeles Lakers’ past season. In order to keep the shooting guard, the Lakers were able to simply give him the $6.5 million tax mid-level exception.
The Kings will give him a substantial bump in compensation for moving from Southern California to the north. Only the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks contacted Monk when he became a free agent last summer because his first four seasons with the Charlotte Hornets were erratic.
No,w the Kings may extend Monk’s deal to a four-year contract with a mid-level exception valued at around $10.5 million next season. Trade or release of cap holds by the Sacramento Kings might free up some cap space for them to sign him directly instead.
Malik Monk opts for Kings
Between Christmas and New Year’s, Monk scored an average of 16.2 points per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the three-point range. There is space for improvement in both his defense and his playmaking, but Monk is becoming an NBA threat as a second-half scorer and a threat in transition.
For the first time since high school, the 24-year-old will team up with De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento. While playing for Kentucky, these two were close friends and teammates who were devastated by their team’s disappointing season-ending defeat to North Carolina in the NCAA championship game.
