De'Aaron Fox Breaks Silence on Malik Monk's Free Agency

The Sacramento Kings will do everything they can to keep Malik Monk, but De'Aaron Fox is just happy for his friend.

Jan 23, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) is congratulated by guard De'Aaron Fox (5) after dunking the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings' season ended earlier than expected as they fell short of the playoffs, so fans have not heard from their players in nearly two months since their exit interviews. While it appears not much has changed since then, two months is plenty of time for pending free agent Malik Monk to come closer to a decision on whether he wants to leave or stay.

Since the NBA Finals concluded, teams can now start negotiating with their pending free agents before they hit the open market. It is assumed Monk has received the maximum offer Sacramento can offer of four years for $78 million.

Monk will start hearing from other teams on June 30 and will not be able to make his decision official until July 6, but the Kings should be doing all they can to convince the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up to stay in Sacramento during this early period.

Kings' star point guard De'Aaron Fox, who was also Monk's teammate for their lone season as Kentucky Wildcats, spoke to ABC10's Matt George and reporters on his friend's free agency decision.

De'Aaron Fox on Malik Monk's free agency decision this summer:

"Him being able to be in this situation and obviously having multiple teams that are trying to come after him, I'm definitely happy for him. Obviously we want him to stay but, at the end of the day, he has to do… pic.twitter.com/sRASeWMusZ

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) June 19, 2024

"Him being able to be in this situation and obviously having multiple teams that are trying to come after him, I'm definitely happy for him." Fox continued, "Obviously, we want him to stay but, at the end of the day, he has to do what's best for him."

Fox has made it clear he will support Monk's decision regardless of where he goes, as he gave a similar response during his exit interview in April. He continued to tell reporters how the duo does not talk about Monk's free agency.

"I don't really ask him about it... I'm not sure," Fox says. "We're friends first...I'm not really asking him anything about free agency."

Through two seasons in Sacramento, Monk continues to show he is one of the most talented and electric guards in the league. Monk started zero games through 156 appearances as a King, as he might be looking for a starting role in his next home.

MALIK MONK GAME WINNER 🔥

INCREDIBLE‼️ pic.twitter.com/9SCVynOfn4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 29, 2023

Monk averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists per game off the bench last season, and his absence to close the season and in the Play-In Tournament was detrimental to the team. Monk suffered a sprained MCL, which not only hurt the team as one of their most important players went down, but it likely cost him the Sixth Man of the Year award, too.

While Monk would miss out on millions of dollars if he chose to stay in Sacramento, his clear chemistry with Fox and the rest of the team would be missed greatly. Ultimately, Fox is correct, and Monk should do what is best for him.

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