Kings' Malik Monk Expected to 'Chase Money' in Free Agency
The Sacramento Kings have done a phenomenal job at retaining their core group of players from their historic 2022-23 season. Still, with trade rumors circulating and star sixth man Malik Monk as a pending 2024 free agent, things could get shaky in Sacramento.
Monk, 25, is having a career-best year while in the running for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. The electric guard is averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 assists per game with 44.6/41.2/86.7 shooting splits, but his impressive performances could cost the Kings.
In the HoopsHype Podcast hosted by Michael Scotto, Kings insider James Ham said Monk could leave in free agency despite his strong relationships in Sacramento.
"Monk signed a two-year, mid-level deal with the Kings, which puts them in a pretty precarious situation here. The best they can offer, from my math, is a starting salary of $17.4 million with eight percent annual raises. I think it puts it around a four-year, $78 million contract... At this point, that might not be enough... I expect him to chase money. I expect that the Kings will be in the conversation. But at the end of the day, if someone comes through with $25-30 million a year and gives him the keys to the offense and says you’re our starting guard or whatever it is, the Kings are going to have a tough time competing with that."
Monk has been as valuable to Sacramento as any other player this season, as the Kings are 9-1 when the star sixth man scores 20+ points. Despite coming off the bench in every game this season, Monk is fourth on the team in points per game and third in assists, as many could argue Monk led the team to a significant amount of their 22 wins.
While it would be tragic for Monk to walk in free agency, Sacramento must prepare for that possibility. The NBA is a business; nobody can blame a player of Monk's caliber for signing elsewhere for more money. Monk's career has flourished in Sacramento, but as a pending free agent, the Kings will have a tough decision to make.
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