Reports: Former Laker Malik Monk signs 2-year deal with Kings
Malik Monk’s one-year stint with the Lakers to rebuild his market value has paid off handsomely.
But his future won’t be back in L.A.
The Athletic was first to report that Monk will be joining the Sacramento Kings on a two-year, $19 million contract – well above the $6.5 exception that the Lakers could have offered the 24-year-old guard to retain him. While Monk said in April that he could potentially see comfort in a Lakers uniform mattering more than money, salary seemingly won the day.
Reports trickled in prior to Thursday afternoon’s opening bell of free agency that Monk was nearing a deal with Sacramento, which also fields his former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox.
Monk is coming off a career season, averaging 13.8 points while shooting 39.1% on 3-point attempts for the Lakers last season. After being picked up on a minimum deal last summer after a disappointing start to his NBA career in Charlotte, Monk broke through and wound up starting 37 games for the Lakers. His friendship with teammate and fellow Arkansas native Austin Reaves was one of the feel-good stories of the Lakers’ otherwise disappointing season.
In his exit interviews, Monk said playing alongside Hall of Famers raised the stakes for how he played, and that the Lakers’ organizational trust infused him with confidence.
“This was the only organization that called me and gave me a chance to prove that I’m a basketball player that deserves to be in the NBA,” he said. “So I was comfortable from the get-go.”
Monk’s decision might be a blow in losing an athletic, quick-scoring guard who could come off the bench, but it opens options for the Lakers and their midlevel exception, which is their only available salary above veteran minimums that they can offer free agents.