Lakers: Malik Monk Signs Multi-Year Deal with Sacramento Kings
The suspense surrounding whether or not Malik Monk would re-sign with the Lakers in free agency ended quickly. Reports surfaced almost as soon as free agency officially began on Thursday that Monk had reached a deal with the Sacramento Kings.
The Athletic's Shams Charania was the first to report that Monk signed a two-year, $19M deal with the Kings.
Monk had previously stated this week that he would be willing to explore the possibility of signing for less, presumably the Lakers $6.4M taxpayer mid-level exception, in order to stay in LA.
But yesterday, a report by Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer noted that Monk was still exploring the possibility of signing a more lucrative contract elsewhere. A subsequent report from Fischer during a live podcast with Marc Stein linked Sacramento to Monk.
Losing Monk, who shined alongside LeBron James, is a tough blow for the Lakers, but a predictable one. After all, Monk is a former lottery pick who had a career year in purple and gold. He bet on himself by taking a veteran minimum contract from a team with a high profile and then cashed in on a strong season.
He set career highs in points per game, field-goal percentage, and minutes per game this past season.
Now on Sacramento, Monk is reunited with his Kentucky backcourt mate De'Aaron Fox and could really succeed as an off-ball scorer with the Kings.
He should have a larger offensive role than he did with the Lakers and more importantly, a bigger paycheck.
