Lakers: NBA Executives Assess What It Will Cost LA To Keep Malik Monk
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In a season framed by negative outcomes, one of the few positives from the Lakers season was the play of Malik Monk. The former lottery pick shined alongside LeBron, which in itself isn't easy to do, and provided the Lakers with another quality scoring option.
Most of the veteran minimum contracts the Lakers handed out last offseason turned into disasters, but Monk far exceeded the $1.67M LA was paying him. Monk bet on himself, and now, gets to cash in.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported what a group of NBA executives think Monk will fetch in free agency this summer.
"I spoke to four NBA executives who projected Malik Monk to earn an average annual salary somewhere between the taxpayer and non-taxpayer mid-level exception as of now. That would project to be somewhere between roughly the $6-10 million annual range."
One executive thinks Monk could be a valuable player on a good team.
“Malik had a good year. I was surprised he was a minimum guy last year. I thought he should’ve been worth more than that. If you put Monk on a good team, his scoring and shooting is really important.”
Problem is, the Lakers used their taxpayer mid-level exception on Kendrick Nunn. Nunn didn't play a single game this year due a knee injury and is expected to pick up his option for this coming season.
So the Lakers would have to get creative in order to retain Monk unless he accepts the Bird rights deal that LA can offer ($2.15M), which, doesn't seem likely.
Noted salary cap expert Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explained the maneuver the Lakers would have to pull off to keep the former Kentucky Wildcat and how Russell Westbrook's contracts plays a significant role in all of it.
"The Lakers might have to use their own non-tax payer mid level exception (NTMLE) to pay Monk, but that produces another problem...if a team uses its NTMLE, it locks in a hard cap for the season. That would limit the Lakers to a total payroll of about $152 million. The Lakers will climb well above that total if Russell Westbrook opts into his final year at $47.1 million, as expected. With Monk at $10.1 million, the team would easily reach an unallowed $165 million.
Pincus has also stated that if the Lakers decide to waive and stretch Westbrook, it would allow LA to offer Monk $10.1M in the first year of a four-year contract. Monk's a good player, but eating Westbrook's contract Luol Deng-style might be too high a cost.
Monk himself has stated that he'd love to "would love to come back" to the Lakers, but it just might not be in the cards.
